Insanely In Love
by Wirtingforthesoul
Summary: Brooke and Peyton, torn apart because of a boy, can they come back together when Peyton finally tells Brooke why it all happened? There is more than meets the eye in any situation, follow the drama that is Tree Hill. I promise it will be a good story.
1. Confession is a hard thing

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**Insanely In Love**

Brooke is lying in her bed flipping through channels, it's not that there is nothing to watch but her mind just won't focus on anything. Finding out that your boyfriend cheated on you with your best friend will do that to you, finally she landed on Breakfast Club, with a smile she stayed on that channel. Just as that smile graced her face; it was gone just as fast when she heard the familiar ring tone she set for her best friend.

"For a fake blond, she's pretty slow" Brooke opened up her bed side draw and tossed the phone in, she shut it and turned her attention back to the TV.

Once again the ringtone went off and Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh, she turned up her TV loud enough to block the sound out.

-  
Peyton tossed her phone down on her bed before throwing herself on it too; she covered her face with her hands as an attempt to stop the tears. Peyton knew she screwed up with Brooke, but she wanted nothing more than to explain to her why. She missed Brooke so much, they were always around each other 24/7 and now she suddenly had no one or at least she felt like it. Peyton knew she had Lucas, but she didn't want him, Lucas wasn't Brooke and that's who she wanted. Deep down she knew why she started this thing with Lucas and now it was time that she explained to Brooke why, weather Brooke wanted to listen or not Peyton was going to explain.

Jumping up from the bed, Peyton grabbed her car keys and left her house.

-  
Brooke heard her door open, turning her attention from the TV she looked over to her doorway and saw Peyton standing there, she shook her head before turning off the TV and standing up on the other side of her bed with her hands on her hips.

"I cannot believe that you actually came here, after all these years you still manage to surprise me with how STUPID you can be." Brooke knew the words hurt Peyton, good she deserved it after all the hurt she put Brooke through.

"Well you weren't picking up your phone…" Suddenly Peyton felt very small in front of Brooke.

"So you thought it would be smart to come here? Wow, I thought you were a fake blond." Brooke crossed her arms and leaned against her wall, looking everywhere but at Peyton.

"I want to talk to you Brooke-"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU" Finally looking at Peyton and for the first time she saw fear in her eyes, internally Brooke regretted making her feel like that but she sure as hell wasn't going to let it show. "I'm done with you Peyton, done, that's why I'm not picking up the phone or answering the texts, okay? I trusted you more than anyone Peyton and you stabbed me in the back, you knew what he meant to me and you still chose him over us." Brooke had to look away again in order to not cry.

"I'm sorry Brooke, I'm so sorry" Peyton let her tears go, she started to make her way to Brooke but stopped when Brooke held a hand out.

"No, you don't get to be sorry, because you looked me in the eye and led me to believe that you were my best friend. You don't get to be sorry, because you still did it knowing that I loved him so much" Brooke finally let her tears go as well. "God, I hate feeling like this and I hate that you're the reason why, I don't get it Peyton do you really love him that much to betray our friendship?"

"No" That brought a look of confusion on Brookes face, Peyton finally had her chance to explain and she wasn't going to let it go. "I love you Brooke and not love you because you're my best friend kind of love, I'm in love with you."

"What? I...What?" Brooke could not believe what she was hearing.

"I'm in love with you, insanely in love with you actually" Peyton looked away and started to wipe her tears away.

"I didn't even know you were gay" Peyton shook her head with a small smile.

"That's really all you got from that Brooke? I'm not gay" Brooke shook her head, confusion still filled her eyes.

"You just said you were into girls" Peyton shook her head again.

"Not girls Brooke, girl, you, just you" Peyton let out a small laugh. "I guess you could say that I'm bi-Brooke"

"This doesn't make sense Peyton; you fooled around with Lucas behind my back. Why would you do that if you love me?" Brooke really didn't see this coming.

"I did it because I couldn't have you and Lucas could" Brooke shook her head in disbelief.

"You split us up because you're jealous of what we had? Peyton, I LOVE HIM" Once again making Peyton jump.

"Yeah and I love you Brooke" Peyton ran a hand through her hair.

"You, you need to leave" Peyton looked back at Brooke, Brooke kept her head down.

"Brooke please, I want to work this out with you, I don't care if I don't get to have you as anything else but I want my best friend back" Brooke shook her head, tears welling up once again.

"I'm not bi-Peyton, I'm still in love with Lucas" Brooke wrapped her arms around herself as if protecting herself.

"Fine, so be in love with him, I just want you back in my life" Peyton stepped closer to Brooke, ignoring the fact that Brooke took a step back.

"How can I ever be friends with you Peyton? You just told me that you broke Lucas and I apart because you wanted me, how do I know that you won't do it again?" Brooke ran her own hand through her hair.

"I would never do anything to hurt you again Brooke, I am so sorry" Peyton started to break down again. "I love you"

"I don't love you Peyton, not like that" No matter how many times Brooke said it, it still hurt to know that she didn't feel the same way. "You need to leave Peyton"

"Okay" Peyton started to make her way to the door, before leaving she turned back once again. "I miss you Brooke, I need you in my life because you mean the world to me…you always have, I love you B. Davis"

Brooke didn't look up till she was sure that Peyton was away from her doorway, as soon as she looked up the tears came down and the sobs broke out.

-  
Peyton sat down in her car; she paced her hands on to the steering wheel before breaking down. She didn't know what she expected from telling her this, but she hoped for something better than this.

**A/N: This is my first OTH fic, so I hope you guys loved it, PLEASE let me know what you thought of it so far through reviews. Love, forever and always.**


	2. Wish I was walking in a dream land

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you so much to those who reviewed I am so happy that you liked it, I hope you love this one too. I promise that the chapters will keep coming fast as long as the reviews keep coming as well. So, please review this chapter, PLEASE. Love, forever and always. **

Brooke woke up and for a second she hoped that she dreamt everything that happened yesterday with Peyton, then soon reality came back and she had to control herself from crying…She was just so tired of crying, crying for Lucas and Peyton. Screw them; they didn't deserve her tears, not anymore.

She got out of bed and made her way to her bathroom, today was going to be a long day at Tree Hill High.

-  
Peyton was driving to school, the whole drive she was having a mental battle with herself about going. She knew the second she kissed Lucas that things would never be the same between Brooke and her, but she hoped that one day they would be over to get over it and get back to the way things were. Now, she knew everything was going to be different forever; she didn't lie when she said that she just wanted Brooke back in her life as her best friend if nothing more. She just missed Brooke so much.

Peyton pulled into the parking lot and turned into the first parking spot she saw, as she cut the engine she looked up only to see Brook getting out of her car right in front of hers. Their eyes connected for a second before Brooke broke it and walked away. Peyton sighed before getting out of her car, she looked behind her as she reached for her bag, as she did she saw Lucas. Peyton quickly grabbed her bag in hopes that Lucas didn't see her.

"Peyton, hold up!" No such luck, she stopped and looked over at him. "Hey, how...Uh…How have you been?" Peyton looked away and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"How have I been? Alone" Peyton shrugged and started to walk away, except Lucas stepped in front of her.

"Look I know things are hard right now, but you're not alone Peyton, you have me" Lucas offered her a smile, which Peyton did not return.

"You're not Brooke, she's my best friend and I miss her Lucas, you won't get it" Lucas let out a scoff, catching Peyton's attention. "What?"

"You don't think I would understand, Haley spends most of her time with Nathan, you don't think I miss her?" This time Peyton let out a scoff.

"Trust me Luke, it's not the same" Peyton walked away without looking back.

-  
Brooke is sitting in class staring out the window, pay close to no attention to the class. While staring out the window she couldn't help but think of Peyton, they've known each other for years and she never saw this coming. How could she not know? Brooke always knew what was going through Peyton's head…Well things change.

"Brooke, Brooke" Brooke jerked her head toward Nathan.

When she looked over at Nathan, she saw the teacher and a few classmates starring at her.

"What?" For the first time in a long time, she saw concern in Nathan's eyes.

"Mr. Wayne is talking to you" Brooke turned her eyes to the teacher.

"Ms. Davis, will you please take this down to the office for me?" Brooke got up and took the envelope from the teacher and made her way out of the room, ignoring the few stares she got.

Brooke started to make her way to the office, as she was walking she ran in to Peyton.

"Hey" Peyton gave her a small wave.

Brooke said nothing, instead she just brushed past Peyton, Peyton grabbed her wrist and Brooke couldn't deny that she felt a spark shoot through her wrist.

"Brooke, please talk to me, this is killing me" Brooke jerked her wrist free from Peyton.

Brooke turned with a raised eyebrow and a sarcastic laugh left her mouth, before a 'you are unbelievable' smile took over her face.

"You selfish bitch, this is killing you? Do you understand how much it hurts me to know what you did and why you did it? Last night you told me that you wanted me back in your life, even if it means that we can only be best friends, right?" Peyton nodded. "I can't do it Peyton, I can't, you are someone completely different to me now. I don't even know you anymore and you know what? I don't care, we are on the same squad and that is how far you and I talking will go, we're done Sawyer. Have a good life" Brooke walked away, leaving a very upset Peyton alone.

-  
Later that night, Peyton was sitting in her room with the music blaring and a sketch book in hand. The sketch was of Peyton standing in Tree Hill High alone with Brooke walking away, it read 'You and I were supposed to equal forever'. She quickly closed the book when she heard a knock on her door, standing in the doorway was Haley.

"Haley James, what can I do for you?" Haley smiled at her as she stepped in to the room and sat on her bed.

"It's more of what I can do for you Peyton" Peyton gave her a confused look. "I know what you and Lucas did and I know that Brooke is pissed at you, I can't even imagine how I would feel if Lucas was that mad at me. I just want to know if you need anything" Peyton was slightly taken back that Haley wasn't biting off her head.

"Haley, why are you okay with this?" Haley let out a small laugh.

"I'm not, but Brooke has the squad and Lucas has me, who do you have?" Peyton looked away; Haley took that as a silent agreement. "What's going through your head Peyton?"

"I really screwed up with Brooke, I mean what I did with Lucas was bad but why I did it is so much worse" Peyton covered her face with her hands. "If I tell you something Haley, will you promise me that you won't say anything to anyone else?"

"Of course" Haley moved closer to Peyton and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm…I'm in love with Brooke" Seeing the confusion in Haley's eyes, Peyton continued. "I told her last night that the reason I fooled around with Lucas was because I was jealous that he had her and I didn't"

"You split them up because you were jealous? Oh my God, Peyton" Haley removed her hand and moved away from Peyton.

"I know okay? I know, I'm a horrible bitch and I regret it every day. I just love her so much and I miss her so much" Peyton started to break down. "I just want her back in my life Haley" A sob broke out from her chest.

Haley pulled Peyton closer to her and let her cry on her shoulder.

-  
Brooke was at the mall shopping, something she did when she was sad, as she walked out of a store two kids ran past her almost knocking her down.

"Sorry" The little blond girl yelled as she kept running with her brunette friend.

Brooke couldn't help but smile at the image, remembering how that used to be Peyton and herself, she missed that but she couldn't lie to herself things between them would never be the same ever.

"Bi-Brooke, what the hell does that mean?" Peyton let out a small laugh.

"Well, it means that she's the only girl that I'm into, so I'm not bi and I'm not gay because I still like guys" Haley nodded in understanding.

-  
"Bi-Brooke, because she's the only girl" Haley couldn't help but laugh. "That's creative"

"Do you want to know what she said to me?" Haley nodded. "She said that she's not bi-Peyton and today she told me that we're done. God, what am I going to do without her Hales?"

"You're not going to have to wonder, because she's going to come around. She need's time Peyton, she's just really hurt right now" Peyton let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You obviously don't know the wrath of Brooke Davis" Haley chuckled.

"She's mad and she has a right to be, but deep down you are always going to be her best friend. So, trust me when I tell you that in time she will come around" Peyton gave her a small nod.

"I hope you're right" They gave each other a small smile.

"I always am, it's what Nathan hates about me" They both started laughing.


	3. New things aren't always good

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you so much to those who reviewed, I hope you love this one too. As I promised another quick update as long as you guys keep reviewing so as always PLEASE tell me what you think of this one. Love, forever and always. **

A few days later, everything was the same and Brooke kept her word about not talking to Peyton. Haley started to spend time with Peyton to make sure she was doing okay and the two of them are becoming good friends. Today, however, there was a different feel in the air of Tree Hill, there is a new girl in town and she is about to shake this up. She is beautiful, she is dangerous and she is going to make an impact in this town simply because she knows she can. Her name is Rachel Gatina.

Haley and Nathan are making their way through the hallways; they were both late for class, while walking they ran into the fiery redhead. As Rachel walked past them, she yelled over her shoulder.

"Damn you're hot!" Haley stopped and turned, pulling Nathan with her.

"Damn, he has a girlfriend!" Rachel stopped and turned back as well.

"I wasn't talking about him" She winked at Haley before she kept walking; Nathan and Haley shared a look before they kept walking.

"Do you know her?" Haley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Never seen her in my life, must be a new girl" After a second Nathan let out a laugh. "A new girl in Tree Hill that looks and acts like that, it's about to get very interesting in Tree Hill"

-  
Around lunch time, Peyton is grabbing some stuff from her locker when Haley walked over to her.

"Hey Peyton" Haley leaned on the locker beside Peyton.

"Hey Hales" Peyton gave her a smile as she kept stuffing her bag.

"How are you holding up?" Peyton gave her a small shrug before answering.

"I'm alright, it's just when I see her it hurts" Haley gave her a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"So, have you met the new girl?" Peyton shook her head.

"We have a new girl? That always turns out great in Tree Hill" They both let out a laugh.

Peyton rolled her eyes when she saw Lucas make his way over to them.

"Hey guys" Peyton said nothing but Haley waved. "Have you girls met the new girl yet?"

"Yeah, she thinks I'm hot" Peyton and Lucas both looked at Haley in shock.

"Wow, Hales you get the girls and the guys going" Peyton playfully punched Haley's arm. "Now I really want to meet this new girl"

"You would get along with her great" Peyton looked behind Haley and saw Brooke standing behind her. "Her names Rachel Gatina, first class bitch" Brooke started to walk away. "You guys could be best friends" Once Brooke was out of sight, Peyton slammed her locker shut and stormed off.

-  
Rachel already knew she made an impact in this school just by being here, every time she saw a group of people she heard her name mentioned. Right now, she was walking through the school trying to get familiar with everything. When Rachel turned the corner she crashed into someone, it was the end of the day so she didn't actually expect anyone to be there, when she collected herself she took a second to look at the person she crashed into. Rachel soon realized that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the curly blond.

"I'm sorry I wasn't watching where I was going, are you okay?" The blond looked up and waved it off.

"It's alright…Oh, you're the new girl right? Rachel…Uh…Gatina?" Rachel nodded and stuck out her hand. "I'm Peyton Sawyer" Peyton shook her hand.

"So, is there anything fun to do in this town?" Rachel stuffed her hands into her jacket pocket.

"There is if you go with the right person" Rachel nodded in understanding.

"Are you the right person to go with?" Before Peyton had a chance to answer a door behind her closed, she turned to see Brooke making her way over to them with her head down.

Once Brooke looked up their eyes connected and then Brookes eyes connected with Rachel, right before Brooke past both of them she left out a scoff. Rachel followed Brooke with her eyes before looking at Peyton and gesturing behind her.

"Am I sensing some history there?" Rachel raised her eyebrow.

"No" Peyton shook her head.

"There's no history between you?" Rachel gives Peyton a skeptical look.

"History means that it's in the past and I refuse to believe that whatever we have is in the past" Rachel nodded and an uncomfortable silence took over.

"So, what do you say Peyton, you want to show me around tonight?" Rachel asked with a shrug.

"I can't sorry, I have some stuff to do tonight" Rachel nodded with understanding.

"It's cool, maybe I'll see you around" Peyton smiled at her before walking away.

-  
Brooke was driving toward her house; she didn't understand why she was so upset to see Peyton talking to Rachel, when she saw them talking there was a familiar feeling of jealousy. Brooke just couldn't figure out why it happened with Peyton, she didn't like Peyton like that…at least she doesn't think so.

Brooke was so lost in her thoughts that she had to slam the brakes on her car when Lucas stepped on the road; she let out a sigh of relief when she didn't hit him.

"I know you hate me Brooke, but to try and kill me might be taking it too far" Lucas attempted a joke.

"You better start walking before I really do kill you, trust me I won't have a problem doing it." Brooke glared at him.

"Brooke, can we please talk?" Lucas pleaded with her.

"What is there to say Lucas? You cheated on me with my best friend and you want to work it out? Screw you!" Brooke began to get choked up.

"I want to be your friend Brooke; I'm not going to lie about what I feel for Peyton. I want to be with her but I don't want to lose you as my friend" Lucas took a step back when Brooke got out of her car and slammed the door.

"I can't believe that you actually said that to me, do you understand that you just told me you want to be with my best friend? How can you even ask me to be friends anymore? God, I can't believe I trusted you with my heart and you knew I did. Lucas, you had my heart in your hand and you crushed it. I hate you and I never want anything to ever do with you anymore" Brooke headed back to her car, but she turned back one more time. "I just have one question for you; did you use me to get closer to Peyton?" Lucas looked away and Brooke had her answer. "Mission completed, you better move or I swear to you I will run your selfish ass over." Brooke got back into her car and Lucas stepped away letting her dive by without killing him.

Brooke looked into her review mirror and watched the figure of Lucas Scott get smaller before it disappeared; she pulled over and broke down in her car.

-  
Peyton is once again sketching in her room, when she heard footsteps in her room she looked over her shoulder to see Nathan standing there.

"Hey Nathan" Nathan smiled at her as he stepped closer.

"Come on, Haley is waiting in the car, we're taking you out tonight" Peyton smirked at him.

"Thanks for the offer Scott, but I'm staying in tonight" Nathan got up and pulled her out of the chair with force. "Nathan!"

"Look, you and I have known each other forever and I know we haven't been that great with each other but you're still my friend. Now, I hate seeing you like this so get your ass down stairs and in that car, we're going to a club so grab you're the fake ID I know you have" Peyton let out a laugh along with Nathan.

"The fake ID that Brooke made me" Nathan looked away not sure what to say, Peyton quickly said something else to end the silence. "Why did you come and get me instead of Haley?"

"To show you that I care and that you're not alone" Peyton smiled at him and gave him a small hug.

"Now, come on Sawyer" Peyton sighed before following him out the door.

-  
When the three of them got to the club it was already alive, music was pumping, people dancing, and the bar was filled. As soon as the three of them walked it, Peyton made her way to the bar and Haley dragged Nathan to the dance floor.

Peyton pushed her way through the crowd of people till she reached the front of the bar; she leaned on it while she tried to get the bartenders attention. Peyton tried and tried again, but she just couldn't get his attention. The person beside her managed to get his attention though.

"Hey, can I get two tequila shots!" As soon as the shots were placed on the bar, the person beside Peyton passed one glass to Peyton.

Peyton turned to her left and saw Rachel standing beside her, with a smile she picked up the shot glass.

"Cheers" Rachel said as she picked up her glass and touched it to Peyton's; they both took the shot and slammed the glass back down.

"Thanks, guess you found your way around without me" Rachel let out a laugh as she stepped closer to Peyton to hear her better.

"Yeah, well a girls gotta do something to have some fun in this town" Peyton nodded in agreement. "So, what are you drinking tonight Peyton?"

"Gin and Tonic" Peyton answered after a second.

"Huh, me too" Rachel smiled at her as she got the bartenders attention.

When they got their drinks they made their way through the crowd again and to get away from the bar.

"Are you here with anyone?" Peyton nodded and she started to scan the club to find Nathan and Haley, soon she found them sitting at a table.

"Come on I'll introduce you, but I think you already know them." Rachel followed Peyton as she made her way to the table. "Rachel Gatina this is Haley James and Nathan Scott"

"You're right Peyton I do know them, hottie and her boyfriend" Rachel smiled at the two of them before taking a seat. "It's nice to meet you" Rachel stuck out her hand.

"Nice to meet you too" Haley shook her hand as well as Nathan.

The night was going great, before Peyton knew it she was feeling a little drunk, she wasn't sure how much she had to drink but she knew it was a lot. Right now she was on the dance floor with Rachel dancing and they were pretty close, Peyton's back was touching Rachel's front while she ground her hips into Rachel.

When the music stopped they started to make their way back to Haley and Nathan, Peyton was leaning on Rachel, Rachel was nowhere near as drunk as Peyton.

"Alright, I think it's time we take you home Sawyer" Nathan held on to Peyton as he pulled her away from Rachel.

"Rachel, do you need a ride?" Haley raised an eyebrow at her.

"I would love one if you're offering?" Haley nodded and they started to make their way to the exit.

-  
Once they dropped of Rachel, they drove Peyton home and Nathan carried her to her room, Haley closely behind him. Once they got to her room, they were surprised to see the light on and even more surprised to see Brooke standing there.

"Brooke, are you okay" Haley quickly made her way over to Brooke.

"I'm fine, is Peyton okay Tutor Girl?" Haley looked behind her at Nathan and Peyton.

"Yeah, we went out and she got a little drunk. I was going to stay the night and take care of her" They both watched as Nathan put her down on the bed.

"Don't worry about it, I'll do it, go home with your boy" Nathan gave her a thankful smile.

"Are you sure?" Brooke nodded. "Brooke, what are you doing here?"

"I don't know, but I'm here, so don't worry about it" Haley nodded before her and Nathan left the house.

Brooke started to make herself comfortable in the chair that she was sitting in when Peyton's phone went off, Brooke quickly grabbed it to make sure it wasn't going to wake up Peyton. In the hurry to grab the phone it slipped from her hand and opened, Brooke tried her best not to read it but couldn't help herself when her eyes caught Rachel's name. She opened the message and read.

'Tonight was fun Peyton, let's go out again sometime soon I promise you a better time'

Brooke started to feel that familiar feeling of jealousy creep up on her again.


	4. It hurts and I don't know why

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you and thank you again for the great reviews, it's awesome to know how much you guys like this story. Here is another quick update, so PLEASE as always review and tell me what you thought cause I love to know. Love, forever and always. **

The sunlight hit Peyton like a two-by-four when she opened her eyes, as soon as she opened her eyes she had to close it just as fast. She let out a groan and placed a hand on her head as she tried to open her eyes again. When she opened her eyes again she saw a blur of a person that looked like Brooke, she rubbed her eyes and soon realized that it was Brooke.

"Brooke?" Brooke turned around and faced Peyton.

"How's that hangover?" Brooke moved closer to Peyton.

"Pretty bad, Brooke what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad that you are, I'm just confused" Brooke suddenly found herself thinking how cute Peyton was when she started rambling, well that was a first.

"I wanted to talk to you about something, but you weren't home so I waited and then you came home passed out" Brooke looked away before finishing her sentence. "After a night out with Rachel"

"Brooke I went out with Haley and Nathan, not Rachel" Brooke scoffed before getting up and grabbing Peyton's phone.

"How much did you have to drink last night?" Brooke turned back to Peyton and threw the phone at her.

Peyton took a second to read over the text before glaring at Brooke.

"Who the hell do you think you are reading my texts?" It took Brooke everything to not strangle Peyton at that moment.

"Who the hell did you think you were making out with my boyfriend?" Peyton ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"That gives you the right to read my messages?" Peyton sits up in her bed.

"I didn't read your message to spite you Peyton, your phone went off and I want to make sure it didn't wake you up so I opened it and it fell. When I saw that the message from Rachel, yeah I read it" Brooke placed her hands on her hips and stared at Peyton. "I don't like her Peyton, I don't, there's just something about her"

"That doesn't make a difference to me anymore" Brooke was taken back from the answer she got and Peyton knew it. "You told me we were done and that you wanted nothing to do with me anymore, fine you got your wish. Now you shouldn't care who I hang out with" Not even Peyton could believe the words coming out of her mouth.

"Yeah you're right, you know I came here to talk to you about something but you're obviously the last person I should have come to" Brooke let their eyes lock and for the first time she didn't break it.

"I guess so" Brooke shook her head as she turned to walk away, before she left the room she turned back.

"By the way, you might want to get rid of that hang over fast because we have practice today and you need to be at your best" Before Brooke left she played Peyton's record player and because Peyton likes it loud, the music blared out of the player. With a smile Brooke left the room.

"AHHHH DAMN IT BROOKE" Peyton covered her ears and fell back on to her bed.

-  
Lucas saw Peyton walking in the hallway, so he ran up to meet her.

"Hey Peyton" Once he caught up to her he stuffed one hand into his pocket and the other re-adjusted his backpack.

"Need something Lucas?" Peyton didn't bother looking at him; instead she kept her eyes straight ahead.

"A date" Peyton stopped dead in her tracks, causing Lucas to do the same.

"What?" Lucas pulled her aside so that they weren't in the middle of the hallway.

"I really think you and I could work Peyton" Lucas gave her his best smile.

"You and my best friend just broke up Lucas" Peyton gave him a disbelieving look.

"Your best friend that doesn't even talk to you anymore" Peyton shook her head in shock.

"You are something else Lucas, she is still my best friend and I love her" Lucas looked away not sure what to say.

The awkwardness was taken care of when Rachel walked up to the two of them; she wrapped her arm around Peyton and gave her a smile.

"Hey Peyton and guy I don't know" Peyton smiled at her and Lucas nodded at her.

"I'm Lucas Scott, you're Rachel right?" Lucas leaned on a nearby locker.

"Yeah, Rachel Gatina" They both shook hands, sensing the awkwardness Rachel was quick to break it. "Alright, so take a walk with me Peyton" Peyton nodded. "We'll see you later Lucas" He nodded as they walk away.

Once Lucas was out of hearing range Rachel turned back to Peyton.

"So, is it safe to say that there's history there" Rachel pointed over her shoulder to Lucas.

"Oh yeah, there is nothing but history there" Peyton felt someone walk into her shoulder, she looked to her left and saw Brooke walking away. "And after today morning, you can also say that there is history between her and me" Rachel let out a chuckle.

"Who is she anyway?" Peyton looked at her in slight shock.

"You don't know who that is? She knows who you are" Rachel gave her a sly smile.

"Baby, everyone in this school knows who I am, I make an impact wherever I go" They both let out a laugh.

"She's Brooke Davis, captain of the cheerleading squad and my former best friend" A look of realization crossed over her face.

"Brooke Davis, I have heard of her" Rachel turned and looked her over for a second before turning her attention back to Peyton and awkwardly asked. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really" Rachel let out a sigh of relief that Peyton laughed at.

"Good, cause I'm not much of a talker, more of a drinker and from last night so are you" Peyton slightly flinched at that.

"Yeah, I don't remember much about last night" Peyton leaned against her class room door waiting for the bell to ring.

"That's okay, we'll go out again tonight and this time you won't get completely wasted and then you can remember the night" Rachel gave her a small smile.

"I don't know Rachel; I do still have a killer hangover" Peyton returned the smile.

"Oh come on, you had fun last night and you know it" Peyton raised an eyebrow. "Well at least what you can remember from it, come on it's a Friday and you know you want to"

"Yeah, yeah I do" Peyton looked at Rachel, let out a breath and caved in. "Fine, we'll go out tonight"

"Awesome, call me later Sawyer" Rachel winked at her and walked away.

Peyton could feel heat rising in her cheeks…Oh God, that wink made her blush. She shook her head with a smile before walking into her class.

-  
Haley was sitting in the gym watching Nathan and Lucas at basketball practice when she felt someone sit beside her; she looked over and smiled at Peyton.

"Hey there, did you have Gin and Tonic pouring out of you this morning?" Peyton couldn't help but laugh.

"Did I really drink that much?" Peyton propped her chin up with her palm.

"Enough that you were all over Rachel last night" Peyton immediately sat straight.

"Oh God, by all over you mean…?" Haley leaned back and let out a sigh.

"You guys were dancing and it was like sex with clothes on, you are so lucky Nathan was facing away from the dance floor or you would have a lot of explaining to do" Peyton put her head in her hands.

"Better get over that hanger over fast Sawyer" Peyton looked up and saw Brooke in front of her. "Get your boney ass with the rest of the squad we're starting in 5" Brooke stared to walk away, Peyton's eyes followed her as she talked to Haley.

"So, she was in my room last night?" Haley turned to look at her slowly.

"Yeah, how did that go?" Haley said as she starched a little.

"Not good, I think I screwed up a lot more with her, I was kind of a bitch to her in the morning" Peyton stood up.

"Alright, well good luck with practice" Haley gave her a pat on her leg.

"Thanks; I'm going to need it" Peyton made her way over to the squad.

Once Peyton got to squad, Brooke let her eyes linger on her for a second before she started practice.

"Alright girls, lets practice that routine from Monday and do it without me I just want to observe and see how you guys are doing" The squad nodded.

On Brooke's cue the squad began to do the routine, they did it about 5 or 6 times because every single time Brooke was not happy with something that Peyton did. Finally she decided that it was enough and ended the practice.

"Alright, that's it for today, you girls can go home" The squad immediately broke up and started to leave.

Peyton turned to grab her bag and her eyes caught Rachel sitting on the bleacher, they gave each other a wave.

"I thought you weren't in to girls, seems you're really into Rachel" Brooke said as she packed her bag.

"Why does it matter to you, are you jealous?" Peyton crossed her arms and stared down Brooke.

"Trust me I'm not and it doesn't matter to me, I just don't like being lied to but you tend to be good at lying so I should be used to it by now" Peyton saw Brooke's eyes look over her shoulder, Peyton turned and smiled at Rachel.

"Brooke Davis, right? I'm-"Brooke cut her off.

"Rachel Gatina, yeah I know" Brooke grabbed her stuff and started walking away.

"It was nice to meet you!" Rachel yelled over her shoulder.

"Feeling's not mutual!" Brooke yelled over her own shoulder.

"Wow, well she's a bitch" Peyton smirked slightly.

"No, she's just in a…bad place right now" Rachel nodded. "So, you waited for me?" Peyton asked as they made their way out of the gym.

"Yeah I thought you could show me around the town in the day and tonight we'll paint this town red" Peyton pretended to think about it for a second.

"I guess I can put up with you for that long" They both laughed as they walked to her car.

When they stopped at Peyton's car, Rachel took a second to look over the car.

"Wow, a 1963 Mercury Comet, that is one hell of a car" Peyton smiled at her as she got into the car.

"Yeah, it's kind of my baby" Rachel ran her hand over the dash board as she sat down.

"Let's hit this town Peyton" They smiled at each other as Peyton started to drive out of the lot.

-  
Lucas is sitting in his room reading a book when Haley walked into the room.

"Hey Hales" Lucas patted the spot beside him as he put his book down.

"I need to talk to you about something" Haley sat down beside him but didn't look at him. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Haley didn't give him a chance to answer. "Making out with Peyton while you're with Brooke?"

"Look I know I messed up but I don't need a lecture, okay?" Lucas got up and stood near his closet.

"I'm not lecturing you, I just want to know when you suddenly changed" Lucas looked away not knowing how to answer. "When did you and Nathan switch places?"

"Probably when you threw me aside to hang out with him all the time" Lucas slightly raised his voice.

"Wow, you really are an ass these days. You know something Luke, Brooke and Peyton both deserve better then you right now" Haley stormed out of the house.

Lucas turned and punched his wall.

-  
Peyton and Rachel are sitting on a couch at a club later that night, once again drinking some Gin and Tonic. This time neither of them is drunk just a little tipsy.

"So, Haley tells me that I was all over you last night…Sorry about that" Rachel shrugged her apology off.

"Don't be, I didn't mind" Rachel playfully nudged Peyton with her elbow. "If you haven't noticed I'm a little into girls" Rachel moved herself closer to Peyton.

"Really?" Rachel nodded. "I'm a little into Brooke" Almost right away Rachel slid back to her old spot.

"So, are you gay or bi?" Peyton downed the rest of her drink before answering.

"Bi-Brooke" Peyton leaned back on the couch.

"My name is Rachel, not Brooke" Peyton let out a laugh and Rachel looked at her confused.

"No, I'm bi-Brooke, meaning Brooke is the only girl I'm into" Rachel once again came closer to Peyton before asking her next question.

"Are you sure? Because last night, you seemed pretty into me" Peyton turned her head to Rachel. Their faces were inches apart.

"I don't know anymore…I'm not sure about anything" Peyton found that she couldn't tear her eyes away from Rachel's.

"Come on, we're going to try something" Rachel pulled Peyton u with her.

Rachel dragged Peyton to a corner of the club that was empty.

"Tell me how it feels when I do this" Peyton nodded.

Rachel backed Peyton up until her back was against the wall, Rachel kept her hands on Peyton's hips and Peyton kept her on Rachel's arms. Peyton wasn't sure about what Rachel was doing until Rachel started to lean in; before she knew it Rachel's lips were on hers. Peyton didn't even realized she had closed her eyes, before she had a chance to kiss Rachel back she pulled away but kept her face close to Peyton's.

"Well?" Rachel opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Peyton's still closed.

"It feels good…right, it feels right" Peyton opened her eyes and looked into Rachel's.

Peyton wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck and pulled her closer, so that their foreheads were touching. Peyton rubbed her nose against Rachel's before she leaned in and kissed her, the kiss got heated really fast. It could have been the drinking or maybe Rachel was just that hot but Peyton got a confidence boost and darted her tongue out and ran it on Rachel's bottom lip. Rachel allowed her entrance very fast and before either of them knew it they were making out.

The two of them were so caught up with each other that they didn't notice someone had walked in on them, that someone was Brooke. Brooke was standing there in shock, she couldn't believe her eye and what was more shocking then that is she couldn't believe how hurt she felt. Brooke turned and bolted out of the club as fast as she could. When she reached her car was when she realized she had tears running down her cheeks.


	5. Want what I can't have

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you and thank you again for the great reviews, I know this chap is shorter than the rest and I'm sorry about that and I promise that the next one will be longer. I hope you guys like this one, PLEASE, let me know how you like this one through reviews and I promise another quick update. Love, forever and always.**

Peyton was on her way to Karen's Cafe, she had spent the whole weekend avoiding Rachel simply because she had no idea what to say to her. Peyton, herself, didn't even understand why she kissed Rachel and why it felt right. She was only supposed to want to be with Brooke, why the hell did she want to be with Rachel now, none of it made sense.

Peyton pulled in the parking lot and walked into the Café, she smiled at both Karen and Haley.

"Are you ready to go Hales?" Haley nodded as she stood up.

"Yeah sure, thanks for the ride" Haley grabbed the coat of the counter. "See you after school Karen"

"Bye girls" Peyton waved at her as they walked out the door.

Once Peyton got the car onto the road, she turned her head to Haley and started to think of a way to tell her what she did this weekend.

"What did you do?" Haley asked without looking at Peyton.

"How do you do that?" Peyton asked with a laugh.

"Are you kidding me Peyton? I could feel the tension radiating off you when you walked into the Café" They both let out a chuckle.

"I did something really stupid on Friday" Haley gave her a look to tell her to continue. "I kissed Rachel"

"Oh my God, what?" Haley looked at Peyton in shock.

"And by kissing I mean making out" If Haley was a cartoon her jaw would have hit the floor and her eyes would have popped out of their sockets.

"Peyton, what the hell are you doing?"Peyton flinched at Haley's voice.

"I don't know anymore, it just felt right Haley…and we were drinking" Haley let out a sarcastic laugh.

"That's what probably made it feel right" Peyton glared at Haley for a second before looking at the road again. "I'm just saying, I mean what happened to being bi-Brooke?"

"I don't know, I want Brooke I really do, I just don't understand why I should wait around for her when she wants nothing to do with me" Peyton turned the car into the schools parking lot.

"So, do you want to be with Rachel?" Haley raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe, I mean she's risky, fun, beautiful…" Peyton trailed off.

"And everything Brooke is" Haley finished Peyton's train of thought.

"Except she wants me and Brooke doesn't" Peyton pulled into a parking space and cut the engine.

"Not yet" Haley took the seat belt off.

"Or ever, I just don't think I should wait around" Haley nodded as they both got out of the car.

-  
Once the girls got into the school they went separate ways, Peyton was on her way to her locker when her eyes locked with Brooke's across the hall way, Peyton was shocked to see Brooke's eyes filled with hurt and pain rather than anger. Brooke turned and walked in the opposite direction. Peyton was about to follow her, but someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into an empty class room and slammed her against the door to close it.

"What the hell Rachel?" Peyton looked at her with a glare.

"Well I figured if I did this you wouldn't be able to avoid me, kinda like you did all weekend" Rachel let her go but stayed close to her.

"I'm sorry, okay I didn't know what to say. I don't know how to explain" Peyton put her head down.

Rachel walked closer to Peyton, if possible, and put her hand under her chin and lifted her head. Rachel leaned forward and put her forehead against Peyton's.

"Try" Rachel whispered.

"I'm in love with Brooke, I think I need to figure things out with that before I do anything more with you" Peyton moved her eyes to her left hand when she felt Rachel's hand touch hers, she couldn't help but smile when Rachel interlocked their hands.

"Fine, so figure things out with her, that doesn't mean that you and I can't try this out" Their eyes locked, both had smiles on their faces.

Rachel leaned in and brushed her lips against Peyton's, she tried to do it again except Peyton caught her bottom lip. Peyton ran her free hand through Rachel's hair, while Rachel ran her free hand up and down Peyton's back. Rachel slowly pulled back, but kept her forehead against Peyton's.

"Tell me this doesn't feel good" Rachel said with a laugh.

She leaned in again and captured Peyton's lips, after a second she pulled back.

"Damn you're good at that" Peyton said with a sly smile.

"You're pretty damn good too Sawyer" Rachel put a stray curl behind her ear. "So, what do you think, go on a date with me tonight and we'll get to know each other better and see how this feels by the end of the night?"

"Sure, as long as I get more of this" Peyton leaned in and quickly kissed Rachel.

"Deal" Rachel pulled away from Peyton and made her way to the door, but Rachel held on to her hand and stopped her for a second.

"Why haven't you given up Rachel?" Peyton kept her eyes locked on their hands.

"Unlike Brooke, I fight for what I want. I'll call you tonight" She smiled at Peyton once more before she walked out the door.

-  
Nathan walked out of the school to make his way to the gym, when he stepped out of the school he saw Brooke sitting on a table in the quad crying. Nathan made his way over to her and sat down beside her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nathan placed a comforting hand on her back, Brooke just kept crying. "Does this have to do with Peyton?" Brooke answered the only way she could, with a nod. "Is it because she's in love with you?"

"She told you?" Brooke asked after taking a deep breath.

"No, she told Haley and Haley just told me" Nathan was about to remove his hand, but thought better of it when he saw her eyes start to water again. "Where's your head at Brooke?"

"I think I'm in love with her Nathan and I think I'm too late" Brooke let out another sob; she took a few breaths in order to talk again. "I walked in on her and Rachel yesterday at a club and it hurt so much Nate"

"Yeah, Haley told me that today too, maybe it's not too late Brooke, I mean she loves you" Brooke shook her head.

"You had to see them last night" Brooke wiped her eyes with anger. "God, why do I do this, why do I only realize what I want when I can't have it?"

"Tell her" Brooke looked at him with confusion. "Tell her you love her and want her, it's never too late Brooke. I've never known you to quit, don't quit on love"

Brooke smiled at him as he pulled her into a hug, suddenly Brooke let out a laugh and Nathan pulled back with a look of confusion.

"Sorry, sorry, I just didn't realize you and Lucas switched spots" Nathan couldn't help but laugh at that. "When did it happen?"

"About the same time Haley entered my life" Nathan stood up and pulled Brooke up with him. "Come on, let's get to the gym" Brooke nodded and once again wiped her eyes before they began walking.

-  
While the squad was waiting for Brooke to get to the gym, Peyton was sitting on the bleachers with Rachel just chatting or rather flirting but they were trying to be discreet.

"So, what do you have in mind for tonight?" Peyton asked with a small smirk on her face.

"Well I was thinking we go to dinner and then maybe get some alone time in your room?" Rachel let her knee touch Peyton's, which was as close as touching they could get without being stared at.

"My room, huh?" Rachel nodded her head. "We'll see how drunk you get me tonight and see where the night takes us" They both let out a laugh.

Peyton and Rachel both looked toward the gym doors when they heard the door open, in walked Nathan and Brooke. Brooke looked toward her squad and then to Rachel and Peyton, Nathan stopped when Brooke did and looked in the same direction he quickly looked back at Brooke.

"I can't do this" Brooke whispered only to Nathan. "Girls, practice is cancelled, go home" Brooke turned and bolted out of the gym.

Peyton and Rachel both shared a look, before Peyton stood up.

"I gotta go check up on her" Rachel stood up as well.

"Alright I'll come with you" Peyton seemed unsure about that and Rachel could tell. "Come on, it'll be fine lets go" Peyton nodded and they both started to walk out of the gym.

-  
They got outside in time to see Brooke getting into her car.

"Brooke, wait!" Peyton yelled, she saw Brooke look at her and then look past her before she took off. "BROOKE"

"Forget it Peyton, she's gone" Rachel ran her hands up and down Peyton's arm.

"Something is seriously wrong, she never ever cancels practice. I should go to her place" Peyton tuned and looked at Rachel.

"I don't know Peyton, maybe you should wait for her to come to you" Rachel stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"She never will, that's just how Brooke is" Peyton started to make her way back to the school to get her stuff.

"Alright, fine but don't blow me off tonight" Rachel said with a smile, Peyton couldn't help but smile back.

Rachel stopped Peyton before she could keep walking; she made sure no one was in the hall way before she leaned in and kissed Peyton hard. Peyton smiled before she walked back into the gym.

-  
Peyton had been parked outside of Brooke's house for a good 15 minutes trying to build the confidence of going and talking to Brooke and trying to figure out what to say. Finally settling her decision, she got out of her car and made her way over to Brooke's house. After a few knocks Brooke opened the door, with a hand on her hip and her eyebrow raised.

"What do you need?" Brooke made sure she looked everywhere, but at Peyton's eyes.

"I just wanted to check up on you, you've never cancelled practice before and I just want to make sure you're okay" Brooke just shrugged it off.

"I'm fine" Brooke got ready to close the door, but Peyton stopped her before she could close it.

"Brooke, please don't lie to me" Brooke finally looked at Peyton and once again there was anger in her eyes.

"Like how you lied to me about Lucas or about how you feel about me?" Brooke crossed her arms and glared at Peyton.

"What do you mean I lied about what I feel for you?" Peyton looked at her in both shock and confusion.

"Are you sure you should be here? I think your girlfriend, Rachel, might just jealous" With that being said Brooke slammed the door closed on Peyton's shocked face.

When Brooke slammed the door shut, she leaned against it and then slid down it while breaking down about it, listening to Peyton lie to her face hurt a lot more then she thought it would.


	6. She's moving fast and She's moving slow

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, not sure if this chap is that great, but I wan't sure if I would be able to update today it was kind of a last second thing LOL. Let me know if you like it please, PLEASE. Thanks you once again for the review I love you guys. You guys know, keep reviewing and I promise another quick update. Love, forever and always. **

When the door slammed in her face, Peyton wasn't sure what had happened. How the hell did Brooke know anything about her and Rachel? The first thought that entered her mind was that Haley told her, with a furious mind set Peyton got into her car and drove to the Café.

When she reached the Café, she practically jumped out of the car and stormed into the Café. Lucy for Haley, the Café was empty except for Keith.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Peyton stormed up to the counter.

"Excuse me?" Both Keith and Haley looked at Peyton with a frown.

"Where the hell do you get off telling Brooke about Rachel and me?" Haley simply shook her head before she answered.

"I never said anything to Brooke about you and Rachel" Haley walked around the counter and stood in front of Peyton. "But thanks for assuming that I would do that to you"

"Then how does she know about us?" Before Haley could answer, a voice behind them answered for her.

"She knows because she walked in on you" They both turned to see Nathan standing there.

"What?" Peyton looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"She walked in on you and Rachel at the club" Nathan walked over to Haley and wrapped his arms around her. "What the hell are you doing Peyton, you love Brooke"

"You told him?" Peyton turned her attention to Haley and once again they were interrupted, this time by Keith.

"Wait a second, Peyton; you're in love with Brooke?" Peyton simply looked away. "But, you're fooling around with…uh….Rachel?" Peyton gave him a small nod.

"Look, I know it sounds bad okay, I get it. Brooke, doesn't want me and Rachel does, I think I'm going to go with the one who wants me because I'm a little done with heartache" Peyton turned back to leave the Café, Nathan stopped her before she walked out the door.

"What makes you think Brooke doesn't want you? It's Brooke, Peyton; she get's defensive when she's scared, you should know that by now" Peyton kept her back turned, unsure of what to say.

"Don't give up on her Peyton, I know what it's like to try and fill in a spot meant for someone else" With Keith's voice in her head Peyton left the Café.

-  
Rachel is at the mall shopping for something to wear tonight, as she turned the corner of the mall she ran into none other than Brooke Davis.

"Hi Brooke" Rachel said with a sly smile.

"Excuse me" Brooke tried to walk around Rachel, but Rachel stepped in front of her.

"What to know something Brooke?" When Brooke looked at her, Rachel took that as a yes. "Peyton deserves better than what you're giving her right now"

"Don't talk about what you don't know bitch" Rachel just let out a small chuckle; Brooke shook her head before walking past Rachel again.

"I'll know about it tonight when I take Peyton out on a date" Rachel made sure she said it before Brooke was out of hearing distance.

Rachel turned around to see Brooke's reaction, Brooke didn't turn around but Rachel could tell that she tensed up. After a second or two Brooke kept walking.

-  
Haley and Nathan walked out of the Café for Haley's break when they both saw Brooke walking across the street.

"Brooke!" Haley pulled Nathan with her as they crossed the street.

"Hey Hales, Nate" Brooke gave them both the best smile she could muster up.

"I heard you know about Rachel?" Brooke nodded and looked away; Haley put a hand on her arm to make Brooke look at her. "It's never too late Brooke, ever, just say something to her"

"It's not that easy for me, look if she wants to be with Rachel then fine" Brooke shrugged.

"She wants to be with you Brooke, she's just not willing to wait around" Haley really wanted Brooke to understand.

"That's the thing Haley, if you love someone enough they'll wait as long as they need to until they get what they want" Brooke looked away from the both of them.

"But, she's bi-Brooke" Haley said in a final attempt to make Brooke understand.

"But she's going on a date with Rachel tonight" Brooke scoffed. "She's not bi-Brooke, she's just bi" Brooke turned and walked away.

-  
Rachel and Peyton decided to go to a dinner and dancing restaurant, Rachel was trying to have a good time but it was clear that Peyton's mind was elsewhere. Finally, after getting annoyed Rachel decided to ask her what the hell was up.

"Peyton, where are you?" Peyton snapped back into reality when Rachel asked that.

"Sorry, you know how I talked to Brooke today?" Rachel nodded. "Well, it didn't go that great, she knows about us Rachel…She saw us at the club, I feel guilty and I can't figure out why"

"You're in love with her Peyton, of course you're going to feel like that" Rachel reached over and placed her hand over Peyton's. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Peyton thought about it for a minute, she did want to talk but at the same time she just wanted to forget about it for one night. She just wanted to have fun with Rachel tonight and that's what she was going to do.

"No, no, let's just have fun tonight" Peyton interlocked their fingers on the table.

They smiled at each other; Rachel leaned across the table and gave Peyton a quick kiss as a slow song began.

"Do you want to dance, while we wait for our food?" Peyton nodded.

Rachel stood up and held out her hand to Peyton, Peyton took it and stood up. Rachel lead them to the dance floor and pulled Peyton close to her by her hips, Peyton wrapped her arms around Rachel's neck and placed her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"You look great tonight" Rachel whispered into Peyton's ear, causing her to shiver when she felt Rachel's breath o her ear.

Peyton pulled back so she could look at Rachel.

"You look amazing tonight" Peyton whispered back.

Their eyes locked and they smiled at each other before they both leaned forward and let their lips touch in a sweet kiss, when they pulled back Peyton put her forehead against Rachel's and they continued to dance.

"You're not afraid of someone catching us here?" Peyton asked and smiled when Rachel let out a laugh.

"Trust me baby, no one except for us, will be here from school" Rachel placed another kiss on her lips.

-  
Rachel and Peyton stumbled into Peyton's room attached to each other's lips, Peyton back Rachel into a wall. Peyton's hands ran up and down Rachel's sides and Rachel's was running one down Peyton's back while the other one ran through Peyton's hair. Rachel switched their position and slammed Peyton into the wall; she quickly removed her lips from Peyton's and started a trail down her neck. When she found Peyton's pulse point, she started to suck. Before Rachel could leave a mark, Peyton pulled her back up to her lips, Rachel pulled Peyton away from the wall and toward the bed. Once Rachel felt the bed with the back of her knees, she once again switched their position and put Peyton on the bed as she got on to of Peyton. Peyton couldn't help the moan that left her lips when she felt Rachel's lips on her neck again, one of Rachel's hands made its way under Peyton's shit and that's when Peyton had to stop.

"Stop, wait" Rachel backed off right away; she pulled back a little so she could look into Peyton's eyes. "I'm not ready, I'm sorry"

"Don't be sorry babe, I understand" Rachel moved to stand up, but Peyton kept her where she was, Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Don't leave, stay the night?" After a moment Rachel nodded.

They moved under the covers, Peyton had her back to Rachel's front and Rachel had her arms wrapped around Peyton. Before they knew it they were fast asleep.

-  
Brooke was sitting in her room, looking through all the pictures she had of Peyton and herself with tears in her eyes. Brooke moved to her contact list and started to scroll down it, she landed on Peyton's name and after a moment she pressed the call button. With a deep breath Brooke held the phone to her ear, she had no idea what she was going to say when Peyton picked up all she wanted was to hear her Peyton's voice. After a few rings it went to voice mail, with a sad look in her eye Brooke hung up and got ready for bed.


	7. Everybody knows

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I liked writing this chapter, tell me if you guys liked reading it. Thank you so much for the great reviews, PLEASE keep them coming and I promise to keep updating. Love, forever and always.**

Peyton woke up in the morning with a smile on her face, for the first time in a long time. The smile on her face grew when she felt an arm wrap around her stomach and hold her tight; she looked over her shoulder and smiled at a still sleeping Rachel. Peyton turned her body around so that she was facing Rachel, she couldn't help but think she looked so cute when she was sleeping. Peyton leaned forward and placed a kiss on her nose, Peyton had to hold back a laugh when she saw Rachel scrunch up her nose. Peyton leaned forward again and kissed her both her eyes, her face scrunched up again before she slowly opened her eyes. Rachel blinked a few times to adjust to the sunlight before she smiled at Peyton.

"Good morning" Rachel said as she stretched her arms.

"Morning" Peyton ran a hand through Rachel's hair. "Thank you"

"What for?" Rachel sat up a little and propped her head up with her hand and elbow.

"For being so understanding about last night" Rachel gave her a small smile.

"You don't have to thank me Peyton; I'm not going to pressure you into anything" Peyton pulled her down for a kiss. "Alright, I gotta get ready for school and I better get going now if I have to walk"

Rachel started to get up, but Peyton pulled her back down beside her.

"Or I could drive you and you don't have to leave right now" Rachel pretended to think it over before she answered.

"I guess I could put up with you a little longer" They both leaned in for a kiss; the kiss is getting little heated.

"We can't start this now" Peyton spoke into the kiss. "I have to get ready for class"

"Fine" Rachel spoke into the kiss as well, but she didn't break it.

"Seriously" Peyton laughed a little into the kiss, after a few more kisses Rachel broke it.

"Fine, I'll go make you breakfast" Peyton smiled at her as she got out of the bed.

"Oh, breakfast in bed even though we didn't have sex last night?" Peyton wiggled her eyebrows, Rachel could help but laugh.

"Not really, considering you have to get out of bed to get ready for school" Rachel laughed at the look that took over Peyton's face.

"You ruined it" Peyton playfully glared at Rachel, the glare went away when Rachel leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "Thanks, but I don't know if I have much food downstairs"

"Don't worry I'll figure it out" Rachel made her way out of the bedroom.

Peyton smiled to herself, it felt good to be happy. Peyton never thought that Rachel would be the reason that she was so happy right now. Peyton got out of bed and grabbed her cell phone that was on her desk and when she opened it she was surprised to see a miss call from Brooke. Peyton wasn't sure what to do about it; she didn't even realize that her finger was on top of the call button. Peyton was about to press it when Rachel's voice broke her out of her trance.

"How do waffles sound babe?" Rachel's voice asked from downstairs.

"Uh….Yeah, that sounds great" Peyton turned back to the phone, after a second she hung up the phone and put it down before going to the bathroom.

-  
Haley was sitting in the quad with Nathan; they were just making small talk when Lucas walked over to them.

"Haley, can I talk to you for a second?" Haley looked at him before looking at Nathan.

"Whatever you need to say to me, you can say in front of Nathan" Lucas let out a sigh before he continued.

"I've been thinking about what you said to me the other day and you're right, so I'm going to start to make a few changes" Lucas saw a confused look pass over Haley's face, so he continued. "I'm going to start by making things right between Brooke, Peyton and me"

"Do whatever you think you need to do" Lucas nodded with a smile before he walked away.

"You didn't tell him about Peyton and Brooke?" Nathan asked with an amused look on his face.

"He's caused them enough pain and he's only going to cause them more if he finds out through me. He'll never let it go, I mean it's Lucas" Nathan chuckled and nodded.

-  
Brooke was standing at her locker, when Lucas suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

"What do you want Lucas?" Brooke gave him a look that said 'You better talk before I kill you'.

"I'm sorry; I messed up with you and Peyton. I just want to work things out with you two, I want to be friends" Lucas gave her a small smile, that same smile she used to love seeing but now she found herself thinking it was nowhere near as beautiful as Peyton's.

"I'm going to say this once Lucas, so I really need you to listen to me" Lucas slightly frowned, but nodded. "Things between us, like friendship, will never be the same…EVER, do you understand that? Lucas, you used me to get with my best friend, as far as I'm concerned you can go to hell"

"What?" Lucas turned to see Peyton standing behind him. "You used her to get with me? My God Lucas, you're such an ass" Peyton was shocked to her Brooke scoff at that.

"You're one to talk Peyton, you're one to talk" Brooke slammed her locker shut and stormed away from them.

"What does she mean by that?" Lucas looked at Peyton for an answer.

"Forget it Lucas" Before Lucas had a chance to protest, Peyton followed Brooke.

-  
"Brooke, hold on a second" Brooke stopped and turned with an annoyed look. "Can we talk for a second?"

"If I say no, you'll talk anyway" Brooke crossed her arms and looked away.

"Well you stopped, so clearly you want to talk to me too" Brooke kept silent. "You called me last night, what's wrong Brooke?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just…I just" Brooke didn't know why she suddenly couldn't get out the words.

"You just what?" Peyton stepped closer to Brooke, so close that she was inches from Brooke's face.

"I just…" Brooke was suddenly feeling very flustered with how close Peyton was and Peyton knew it.

"What Brooke, what?" Peyton stepped even closer to Brooke, their eyes locked before Brooke's eyes trailed down to Peyton's lips.

Brooke opened her mouth in a last attempt to try and tell Peyton what she felt, when the voice that has ruined her life interrupted them.

"Peyton" Brooke screwed her eyes shut and took a step back when she heard Rachel's voice. "Is everything okay? I thought you would be in class"

"Everything's fine, I just needed to talk to Brooke. Do you mind giving us a second?" Rachel nodded and quickly gave Peyton a kiss before walking into the school.

Brooke had to turn away completely when she saw them kiss, when Peyton saw Brooke turn her back she had an idea of what was going on and she hoped she was right.

"Brooke, talk to me. Why did you call me?" Peyton moved so she was in front of Brooke again.

"Forget it, I have to go" Peyton pulled Brooke back before she could leave.

"Brooke, do you…do you…" Brooke knew where Peyton was going with this so she stopped her.

"No, I don't and you shouldn't care if I did because you have Rachel" Brooke looked away from Peyton before she would start crying.

"But you don't?" Brooke shook her head. "Then you shouldn't care about Rachel and I" Peyton stormed away from Brooke.

-  
Peyton was sitting in class, staring at a blank piece of paper when someone sat beside her. She looked beside her and saw Lucas sitting there; she rolled her eyes at him.

"What?" Peyton leaned back and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I followed you when you went after Brooke, but I stepped back because I hoped you guys would work things out and then I saw Rachel" Peyton's eyes grew big. "Yeah I saw you kiss Rachel, but before that I saw you get a little too close to Brooke"

"Lucas, you don't know what you're talking about" Peyton whispered.

"No, I know exactly what I'm talking about" Lucas said it loud enough to catch the attention of the teacher and some of the class.

"Mr. Scott and Ms. Sawyer whatever you are talking about can wait till after class" Now the whole class was staring.

"No it can't!" Lucas yelled to the teacher before turning back to Peyton as he stood up. "You want to make me look like the bad guy because I used Brooke to get with you, what the hell were you with me for? You sure as hell didn't want me, you wanted her. Next time you want to judge someone you better get off your high horse and take a good look at yourself, you…DYKE" Lucas walked out of the classroom and slammed the door behind him.

Peyton looked around the classroom and at all the eyes that were on her; she quickly grabbed her stuff and ran out of the classroom.

-  
Rachel walked into Peyton's room and saw her lying in her bed, on her stomach. Rachel walked into the room and sat down on her bed.

"Hey, I heard what happened in school. Are you okay?"Peyton turned on to her back and gave Rachel a shrug.

"I don't know, do you think I deserved it?" Rachel got comfortable on the bed and leaned closer to Peyton.

"No, you used him and it was wrong but doing what he did in the school was wrong too" Peyton sat up a little and leaned against the head board, Rachel did the same.

"God, I don't know if I can go back there" Peyton cover her face in frustration.

"Why not?" Peyton looked at Rachel with a look that said 'Are you serious?"

"Everyone knows, I mean you know and you weren't even there, and they know everything. They know about Lucas and me and Brooke and me and you and me" Rachel just shrugged.

"So what? I'm glad they know about us, I like us and I want to show us off. Peyton, now that they know we don't have to hide what we are and what we have" Peyton gave her a small smile and Rachel returned it before continuing. "I like you Peyton, a lot and I want to be able to show that. I want to be able to hold your hand" Rachel took a hold of Peyton's hand. "I want to be able to wrap my arm around you and hug you and squeeze your ass if I want to" Peyton laughed at that. "Most of all, I want to be able to kiss you and not worry about what they think, because, to be honest baby I don't care and neither should you" Rachel leaned in and gave her a kiss, Peyton smiled when she pulled back and rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

-  
Lucas was playing some basketball on the river court, when suddenly he was pushed from behind. Lucas turned around to see Nathan, who suddenly grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him into the basketball pole.

"Who the hell do you think you are outing Peyton like that in front of everyone?" Nathan made sure there was no way that Lucas could move from his grip.

"She used me to get to Brooke!" Lucas tried to break free, but to no avail.

"And you used Brooke to get to her! Do you think you're better than her?" Nathan tightened his grip.

"No, but she thinks she's better than me when she did the same thing" Nathan looked away before he pulled Lucas away from the pole and slammed him back into it.

"She is better than you; she didn't go around and tell the whole school that you were cheating on Brooke OR that you used Brooke when she found out. But you, man, what you did is so messed up. The whole school knows about her, how do you think she's going to face all those people tomorrow? You didn't think of that did you?" Lucas turned his eyes away. "God damn it Lucas" Nathan let him go, after a second he drew his fist back and nailed Lucas in the jaw, sending him to the ground. "Haley's right, you are an ass" Nathan turned and walked away.


	8. An eye for three

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I am so sorry for not updating over the weekend, please forgive me. Let me know if you liked this chapter, I did. PLEASE review and I promise the next update will be fast, like tomorrow fast. Love, forever and always. **

"So, I decked him" Nathan had just finished telling Haley about went down between Lucas and him.

"Oh my God, you punched him. Is he okay?" Haley took a seat at the table in the Scott house.

"Don't know and I don't care" Nathan sat down beside Haley and passed her a drink. "He was a dick and had it coming"

"Yeah, you're right" Haley looked away from Nathan; Nathan knew Haley was feeling unsure. "Haley, you can't tell me that you're feeling bad for him now?" Haley bit her lip before answering him.

"It's not so much that I'm worried, it's just you punched him and physically I hope he's okay, emotionally I could care less" They both let out a laugh, Nathan reached across the table and place his hand on top of Haley's.

"Haley James, you are too sweet for your own good" Haley gave him a smile as she stood up.

"Well aren't you just a sweet talker?" They both smiled at each other, as Haley walked over to him. "But, I'm going to go talk to him and figure out what the hell is going through his head" Haley gave Nathan one last kiss before she left.

-  
Lucas is standing in his bathroom with an ice pack attached to his jaw; he moved the ice pack for a second to get a good look at the bruise. He heard a knock on his front door; he started to make his way over there. When he opened the door and saw Haley there, he stepped back and let her in.

"Save the lecture Haley, your boyfriend already gave me one" Lucas pointed to the ice pack. "As you can tell"

"What the hell were you thinking Luke?" Lucas shrugged as he sat down on the couch. "You do understand what you did, right?"

"Does everyone realize that Peyton used me? I mean, why the hell am I the only one that has to deal with the backlash of my actions? Why the hell is no one giving her crap?" Haley ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Because she knows what she did was wrong, she has the ability to admit it" Lucas just rolled his eyes. "Why did you do it Lucas?"

"An eye for an eye Haley, an eye of an eye" Haley shook her head in disgust at the man sitting in front on her.

"So, she wrongs you, you wrong her and it's all good" Lucas gave her a small nod. "God, you really don't understand what you did, do you?"

"No, I know exactly what I did" Lucas gave her a small smirk.

"No, because it's not an eye for an eye Luke, it's an eye for three eyes" A look of confusion took over Lucas' face. "What you did, it didn't only affect Peyton it also affected Brooke and Rachel. You didn't think of that, did you?" Lucas looked away. "What happened to my best friend, cause that is not who I see in front of me. Do you want to know who I see in front of me?"

"Who?" Lucas asked in a soft tone.

"Dan's son" Haley replied in the same tone, before walking out of the house.

-  
When Brooke walked into the school the next day, all eyes were on her. It wasn't one of those moments where you think everyone is staring at you, everyone was actually staring at her and she had no idea why. Brooke had left after her encounter with Peyton and now she wished she had stayed.

Brooke started to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious as she walked through the hallways, an arm suddenly went around her shoulders. Brooke looked to her right and smiled when she saw Nathan; he looked down at Brooke and returned it.

Nathan guided her into the Tutor Center, Haley was the only other person in the room, and Nathan closed the door behind them.

"Okay, can you guys please tell what the hell is going on?" Nathan and Haley shared a look, before Nathan decided to answer.

"Lucas confronted Peyton about you in front of his class and it spread to the whole school" Nathan sat down on a desk in front of Brooke.

"What do you mean confronted her about me?" Brooke looks at both of them for an answer.

"He means that the whole school knows about how she feels about you and Rachel" Haley finished.

"Is she okay?" Brooke had to sit down.

"We haven't had the chance to talk to her yet" Brooke nodded at Nathan.

"Why the hell did Lucas do this?" Brooke started to feel the anger flaring up inside her.

"Because he's an ass" Haley hit Nathan before answering Brooke.

"This is his way of getting back at Peyton for using him to get to you" Brooke shook her head in disbelief.

"Are you going to be okay out there?" Nathan gestured toward the door.

"I will be…as long as you guys don't leave my side unless you have to. Is that okay?" Haley and Nathan both chuckled before answering, at the same time.

"Yeah" Brooke smiled at both of them before pulling them into a hug.

-  
Rachel and Peyton are standing outside the school; Rachel is waiting for Peyton to be ready to walk into the school.

"I can do this…I CAN do this right?" Rachel smiled at her as she stepped closer to Peyton.

"Of course you can Peyton, you are so strong and today they are all going to see it" Rachel wrapped her arms around Peyton's waist.

"Thank you Rachel…Can you do me favor?" Rachel nodded. "Can you please be my strength today?"

"You're not going to need it, but I promise you I will be with you every step of the way" Peyton smiled and pulled Rachel in for a hug.

"I'm really lucky to have you" Peyton whispered into her ear.

"I'm the lucky one" Rachel whispered back. "Are you ready?" Rachel asked as she pulled back.

"Yeah, let's do this" Peyton said with a smile.

Rachel opened the door for Peyton; Peyton took a deep breath before walking through the door. Just as all the eyes were on Brooke, they were on Peyton. The only difference being that they were whispering too, almost right away Peyton started to feel uncomfortable. Peyton was just about ready to turn and run out the door when Rachel took a hold of her hand and suddenly she had strength, Peyton smiled at Rachel and gripped her hand tighter. Once they started holding hands, the whispers in the hallway grew.

"Don't listen to them, what they think doesn't matter because they don't matter" Rachel whispered to Peyton.

"I know and you're right, but she matters" Rachel looked at where Peyton was looking and saw Brooke looking at them. "I need to know if she's okay" Rachel nodded and they made their way over to Brooke, Haley and Nathan.

"Are you okay?" Brooke and Peyton asked at the same time.

"Yeah" They both answered at the same time, they both let out a small smile at that.

"I'm sorry that Lucas did this to you Peyton" Peyton shrugged.

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry that he dragged you and Rachel into it" Brooke gave her a nod.

When silence took over, Brooke glanced down and when she did her eyes caught their hands. Brooke looked back up and saw Peyton's eyes on her, right away she knew that Peyton knew what was running through her mind. They broke eye contact when a voice caught their attention.

"Hey girls, how about you give us all a treat and give us a threesome…threesome, threesome, threesome" The guy started chanting, looking around for support which he got.

Nathan dropped his bag and grabbed the guy by his collar and slammed him against the locker, causing the whole hallway to go silent.

"You better shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you" Nathan was about to let go, but the guy let out a laugh. Nathan tightened his grip.

"You don't have to defend them Scott, you're not going to get anything from them" Nathan shoved him against the locker hard as he let go; Nathan took a step back and drew his fist back. Just before Nathan's fist connected with his face, a hand wrapped around his arm; Nathan looked behind him to see Peyton.

"He's not worth it Nathan, come on" Nathan dropped his fist before turning back to the guy.

"You're lucky, next time you make a comment like that, God himself won't stop me from bashing your face in" The five of them turned and walked away.

-  
Brooke was walking past the gym, when she caught sight of Lucas playing basketball. She quietly walked into the gym and grabbed a basketball; she got closer to him and whipped the ball at the back of his head.

"Ow, what the hell?" Lucas turned grabbing his head. "What the hell is wrong with you Brooke?"

"Me, what the hell is wrong with me?" Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh. "What the hell is wrong with you? How dare you do that to Peyton?" Lucas rolled his eyes. "You did not just roll your eyes at me Lucas Scott, despite everything I still thought you were man enough to never do something so low and then you did this and once again went out of your way to prove me wrong. Peyton did not deserve that and you know it"

"Why the hell do you even care? I mean, you don't even talk to her" Lucas' head snapped to the left, when Brooke's hand connected with his face.

"She is still my best friend, you may have come between us, but I will always protect her. She will always be my P. Sawyer" Brooke said in his face.

"That's the thing Brooke, she's not your P. Sawyer anymore she's Rachel's…Come to think of it, she was never really your P. Sawyer. At least not the way she WANTED to be" Brooke glared at him before she slapped him again.

"I hope you burn in hell Lucas Scott, because right now that is the only place you belong" Brooke turned and walked out of the gym.

-  
It was then end of the day and all three girls had survived, right now Peyton is heading to her locker. As she was walking, a foot stuck out in the crowded hallway and Peyton fell on her face on to the hard ground. Peyton looked up to see the girl that tripped her and all her friends laughing.

Brooke saw from a distance and she quickly started to make her way over to Peyton, when someone rushed past her. Brook looked up to see who it was; all she saw was red hair rushing to Peyton. Brooke backed off right away, but kept her eyes on them.

Peyton suddenly felt someone grab her under her arms and help her up; when she was up right she looked to her side and smiled at Rachel. Rachel's eyes were locked on the girl that tripped Peyton.

"Hey, what the hell was that?" Rachel stood right in the girl's face.

"That was that dyke falling on her face" The girl answered with attitude.

"What did you just call her?" Rachel narrowed her eyes and practically hissed her words.

"A dyke, your kind doesn't belong in our school" Rachel shook her head and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Neither do dirty ass sluts like you" That pissed the girl off right away, she swung her hand out, but Rachel caught it. "Bitch, you did not just try to slap me" Rachel let go of her hand before stepping back and punching the girl in her face and knocking her on her ass. "If you ever touch my girlfriend again, I'll make sure that you can never walk again" Rachel turned and grabbed Peyton's hand, they both walked out of the school.

-  
Once they got to Peyton's car, Peyton got into the passenger side and Rachel in the drivers. Peyton looked over at Rachel and gave her a big smile.

"What?" Rachel asked as she turned the engine on.

"You called me your girlfriend, you never said that before" Peyton had to keep a straight face, when she saw a look of slight fear cross over Rachel's face.

"It is what you are…Uh…We are right?" Rachel looked at her with a raised eye brow.

"Do you know why I'm letting you drive my car?" Rachel shook her head. "Because you're my girlfriend"

Rachel leaned in and let her lips touch Peyton's in a soft kiss, before she started to drive.

-  
Peyton was sitting on her bed alone; Rachel decided she was going to walk home. Peyton looked away from her sketch book and smiled when she Brooke in her door way.

"Hey, come in" Peyton patted her bed; Brooke smiled and walked over to the bed.

"Hey, I just wanted to check up on you, are you okay after what happened?" Brooke asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Yeah, I'm good" Peyton answered with a smile.

"Good" Brooke let silence take over, before continuing. "Look, I'm still confused about everything and I don't know if I can forgive you completely right now; but I want to start over and TRY to get to get back to what we were" Peyton couldn't help the huge smile that graced her face.

"So, we can be friends again?" Peyton had hope in her voice and eyes.

"Just not enemies anymore, we'll take it one day at a time...P. Sawyer" Peyton gave her a nod and smiled.

"I can work with that" They both smiled at each other.


	9. They leave or do I push?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I am so sorry for the wait, I had some writers block and couldn't log into Fanfic for some reason. Thank you so much for all the review I love you guys for all the great things you say. Love, forever and always. I hope you like this chapter. **

Peyton walked into the Café with a smile plastered on her face, Haley raised an eyebrow when she saw the smile.

"Wow, someone got laid last night" Peyton smacked Haley's arm playfully.

"Not yet, maybe later tonight when I pick my girl up" They both let out a chuckle.

"Then what's with the big smile?" Haley leaned on the counter, Peyton mocked her position.

"Brooke and I aren't enemies anymore" Peyton answered in a whisper.

"So you guys are friends?" Haley's voiced laced with excitement.

"No, but we're not fighting anymore, which is fine with me. All good things take time" Haley nodded in agreement.

"Good for you guys" Silence took over a second, before Haley continued. "So, Rachel's your girl now?"

"Yeah" Peyton answered with a laugh. "We made it official today, she's my girlfriend and it feels good to say it"

"You're happy right?" Peyton nodded. "Are you over Brooke?"

"Sometimes I think I am, when I'm with Rachel and it feels right and it feels good; at that moment I find myself thinking that there can't be anything better than that moment. Then I see Brooke and I think that I will never be able to fully get over her, a part of me is always going to love her. The thing is, I like what I have with Rachel, and she makes me smile and wake up with a smile on my face. I don't want to ruin that" Haley nodded in understanding.

-  
Rachel had just stepped out of the mall and was walking home. While she was walking she ran into Lucas.

"Hey jackass" Rachel said as she walked past him.

"Hey bitch, where's your girlfriend?" Rachel stopped and turned back around to face him.

"Probably waiting for me in her room, on her bed" Rachel let out a laugh at the look that ran over Lucas' face. "Where's yours? Oh wait that's right, you cheated on your girlfriend with her best friend but she never really wanted you, did she?" Rachel laughed in his face before she turned around again.

"Hey, don't be a bitch!" Lucas yelled to Rachel's retreating form.

"I'm not the one that's being a bitch" Rachel yelled over her shoulder.

-  
Peyton had just stepped out of her car and made her way over to her front door, as she stood in front of her door she started to dig into her purse for her keys. Peyton jumped when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, she quickly relaxed when she felt familiar lips press a kiss to her neck.

"Jesus Christ Rachel, you scared the hell out of me" Peyton shivered when she felt Rachel's breath as she laughed.

"Sorry babe" Rachel pulled away from Peyton so they could walk into the house.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was picking you up later tonight" Peyton turned to close the door before turning back to face Rachel.

"You were, but I was thinking that instead we could stay in your room" Rachel walked closer to Peyton and placed her hands on Peyton's hips. "And get to know each other a little better"

"And by that you mean…?" Rachel gave Peyton a sly smile.

"Well verbally, emotionally and physically" Rachel ran her hand down Peyton's leg before running it back up and around Peyton, she landed on Peyton's ass and squeezed her ass.

"I like that idea" Peyton whispered as she started to pull Rachel towards the stairs. "Let's start with the physical part"

-  
Brooke was sitting on the beach, just watching the water.

"Hey Brooke" Brooke looked to her left and smiled at Nathan.

"Hey Nathan" They smiled at each other.

"Is this spot taken?" Nathan pointed to the spot beside Brooke.

"No, it's all yours if you want it" Nathan nodded and sat down beside her.

"So, I just came from the Café and Haley told me that you and Peyton are good again" Brooke nodded at him with a smile.

"Yeah, we're not friends yet, but it's a start right?" Nathan nodded. "How are things with you and Tutor girl?" Nathan let out a laugh before answering.

"Things are great, I've never felt like this before and I know that sounds cheesy but it's the truth. Before I met Haley I never thought love like this actually existed" Brooke smiled at the love in Nathan's eyes. "She's the one for me and I know it, do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I used to feel like that with Lucas" Brooke paused before she continued. "I think if Peyton and I were together, I would feel the same way. I'm too late, aren't I Nathan?"

"It's never too late for anything" Brooke gave him a skeptical look. "She's with Rachel and she's happy"

"So, I'm too late, just say it Nathan" Brooke said with a laugh.

"I'm not going to say that, there's no timing for love Brooke, you just have to make the move and if you fail at least you can say you tried" Brooke shook her head.

"I'm not going to ruin the happiness she has with Rachel just for my own" Brooke shifted so that she was leaning back on her elbows.

"Good, because if you did I would be pretty pissed at you, that still doesn't mean that you have to give up" Nathan placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Nate, it's funny I think you and I are closer now than when you were dating Peyton" Nathan nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad that we are though, you're a great person Brooke"

-  
Lucas was playing basketball on the river court when he heard footsteps behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see Keith.

"Hey Keith" Lucas tucked the basketball under his arm and smiled t Keith.

"Hey Luke…Look, uh….I want to talk to you about something's" Lucas nodded as they both made their way to the belchers and sat down. "Your mom and I have noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, what's going through your head Luke"

"Nothing" Keith gave him a look and Lucas sighed before continuing. "Look, it's just some stupid teenage stuff that you and mom don't need to worry about"

"Well, we are worried, so talk to me Luke" Keith pressed him.

"I don't want to talk about it Keith" Lucas moved to get up, but Keith forced him back down.

"Lucas, we just want to help you but you won't talk to your mom. Fine, so talk to me" Keith placed his hand on Lucas shrugged it off before jumping up from the bleacher.

"Look, you wouldn't be the same either if you realized that the girl you love was really into her best friend!" Lucas finally yelled.

"Peyton and Brooke" Lucas looked away and Keith had his answer. "You know, Haley is very close to me and your mom and she talks to us. Tell me you haven't done the things she told us you have"

"Depends what you've heard" Keith was slightly shocked at the smart ass answer and Lucas knew it. "Haley's changed since she's been with Nathan, how the hell would she know what's going on between us when she and I don't even hang out" Keith shook his head.

"This isn't about Haley, this is about you not being the man that your mom has raised you to be" Lucas rolled his eyes. "Lucas don't roll your eyes at me"

"Keith stop, you're not my father, stop trying to be" Lucas and Keith were both shocked at the words that left Lucas' mouth.

"You're right, I'm not your father but I'm the best you got, when you grow up come and talk to us because we'll always be here" Keith turned and walked off the river court.

-  
Rachel and Peyton were sitting on Peyton's bed, with a bowl of popcorn in between them.

"Ok my turn, tell me about your parents" Rachel saw Peyton visibly stiffen at the question, before Rachel could retracted her question Peyton started to answer.

"My dad works on a ship so he's almost never home, but when he's home he is the greatest I love him so much. I really can wait for you to meet him, he is going to love you. My mom…my mom died when I was eight" Rachel heard the tightness in Peyton's voice and Rachel was quick to consol her.

"Peyton, if I had know I would have never asked, I am so sorry" Rachel moved the popcorn and put it on the table beside Peyton's bed, she moved closer to Peyton.

"If you never asked, you would have never known" Peyton turned to Rachel with tears in her eyes. "It was hard and I miss her, my dad didn't know how to help me get though it because he was hurting too. Then Brooke changed my world, all she did was stand by me every day and everyday suddenly became easier"

"Peyton, I need to ask you a question and I know it's going to sound selfish after what I just asked, but are you over her?" Peyton hesitated and didn't answer right away, that was all Rachel needed. "Do you still love her?"

"Rachel…" Peyton trailed off not sure how to completely answer.

"You do, don't you?" Rachel started to get up from the bed, but Peyton kept her on the bed.

"Rachel stop, it's going to take me time to get over her okay? But, I don't want to be with her, I want you Rachel" Peyton leaned in and placed her forehead against Rachel's. "Okay?"

"Okay, I…I just don't want to be the girl you settle for" Rachel pulled away a bit, so she could look into Peyton's eyes.

"You aren't the girl I settled for, when we started this you might have been, but then I realized how much I want to be with you" Peyton slightly jumped, when Rachel jumped out of the bed.

"What did you just say?" Rachel hissed the words.

"What?" Peyton didn't understand what just happened.

"I was the girl you settled for when we started?" Peyton screwed her eyes shut when she realized what slipped out.

"Rachel, I didn't mean-" Rachel cut her off.

"Didn't mean for me to find out? Why the hell did you get with me Peyton?" Rachel's voice started to rise.

"Rachel we don't have to do this, it's in the past" Peyton stood up and made her way over to Rachel.

"No, we're going to do this…Oh my God, was I your replacement for Brooke?" The realization hit Rachel's face.

"No…I don't know, Rachel I was in a bad place when you walked into my life and it just felt good to be wanted. It felt good to show Brooke that I could be happy with someone else" Rachel let out a scoff.

"So, not only did you settle for me, you also used to me to make Brooke jealous" Peyton immediately started shaking her head.

"I didn't mean for it to sound like that, Rachel I'm sorry." Rachel shook her head and started to walk out of the room, Peyton was quick to stop her. "No Rachel, please don't leave like this" Peyton grabbed her wrist, Rachel tugged her wrist away.

"I just can't be around you right now" Rachel turned and walked out of the room.

Peyton leaned against the wall, when she heard the house door shut; she slid down the wall and started to break down. How could she have been so stupid? She might have just ruined the best thing that happened to her in a long time. Peyton buried her face in her arms, as the sobs broke out of her chest.

"Peyton, what's wrong?" Peyton looked up and saw Brooke standing in her doorway.

"I think Rachel might leave me" Peyton put her head back into her arms.

Peyton lifted her head again when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, she looked at Brooke for a second before she placed her head on Brooke's shoulder and continued to break down. Brooke simply ran her hand up and down Peyton's arm.


	10. Yelling all the reasons

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I am so sorry for the wait, I will upload 2 chaps tomorrow to make up for this wait. I just want you guys to review this one cause I'm not really sure how you guys will feel about this chap. Let me know, thanks again for all the great reviews. I love you guys. **

Brooke wasn't sure how long they had been sitting on Peyton's floor or how long Peyton was crying; she just wanted to be there for Peyton. When she had walked into that room and saw Peyton in tears, it tore her heart apart. Brooke looked at Peyton when she felt her shift.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Brooke looked at her, but Peyton kept her eyes straight ahead.

"Not much to talk about, I just learned that I am very capable of putting my foot into my mouth" Peyton finally looked at Brooke, before continuing. "I told her I settled for her because I couldn't have you" Brooke looked away from her and slightly nodded. "But since then, I've wanted her more than anything else in the world"

That hurt Brooke to hear, but if Rachel was what made Peyton happy then she was going to help her.

"Go fight for her Peyton" Brooke turned her eyes back to Peyton. "Why the hell are you still sitting here? I mean, you should be running after her or standing outside her window yelling all the reasons you guys should be together. What're you giving her time? We're girls P. Sawyer, we don't need time; all we need is the one we care about chasing after us" Peyton smiled at Brooke before standing up, Brooke followed.

"You're right, I gotta start fighting for what I want" Peyton gave Brooke a meaning full look, Brooke looked away she didn't want to get caught up in the moment.

"Then get out of here Peyton, go get your girl" Brooke gestured to the doorway.

Peyton walked past Brooke, but hesitated in the doorway, she turned back to Brooke.

"Thanks Brooke, I'm really glad that we're not enemies anymore" They smiled at each other once more before Peyton took off.

-  
Peyton drove as fast as she could to Rachel's house or rather mansion, as Peyton liked to joke about. Peyton got out of her car and walked up to her door, Peyton hadn't thought about what she was going to say but what better way to speak than from the heart. Peyton took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. After a few moments, Rachel opened the door, she look at Peyton for a second before looking away.

"What do you want Peyton?" Rachel placed her hand on her hip and kept her eyes away from Peyton.

"You" Rachel brought her eyes to Peyton's.

"Peyton, listen to me-" Peyton cut her off.

"No, you listen to me, I want you Rachel okay? Not Brooke or anyone else, you. Do you know why?" Peyton got enough confidence to step closer to Rachel.

"Because I made you feel wanted?" Rachel crossed her arms and Peyton looked away at the words, but soon turned her eyes back to Rachel.

"At first maybe, but now it's because you make me smile more than I ever have. Did you know that ever since we've gotten together I have woken up every morning with a smile on my face? You make me happy Rachel and I would never want to ruin that" Peyton stepped closer to Rachel, their lips inches away. "I don't know if I will ever be completely over Brooke, but I do know that I want you and only you" Peyton put her forehead against Rachel's.

"I won't be second best Peyton, I won't be Brooke's replacement and I will not be who you settled for. I need to know that when we're together you won't be hopping it's her the whole time" Rachel put a hand through Peyton's hair and the other on her hip.

"I will never be hopping that, I am so happy with you Rachel Gatina" Peyton placed both her hands on either side of Rachel's face.

They looked into each other's eyes for a second before they both leaned in; Peyton caught Rachel's lips in a hungry kiss. Rachel pulled Peyton into the house and slammed against the door to close it, as soon as Peyton's back was against the door Rachel took over the kiss. Peyton hands moved down Rachel's body very slowly causing Rachel to moan, Rachel pulled away from the kiss and started to kiss down Peyton's neck, she smirked when she heard Peyton let out a moan. Peyton pulled Rachel back up to her lips; Rachel started to pull Peyton away from the door and up her stairs.

"Want to see my bedroom?" Rachel joked into the kiss.

"Rather just see your bed" Peyton smirked into the kiss.

They finally reached the bedroom and Rachel pushed Peyton on to her back, Peyton crawled back so that she was at the head of the bed. Rachel started to crawl on to the bed and on top of Peyton, once they were face to face Rachel leaned down and continued their kiss. Hands soon started to travel as the kiss became heated, Peyton let out a gasp when she felt Rachel's, cold, hand on bare skin. They had to break the kiss so that Rachel could take Peyton's shirt off, before the shirt was fully off she still looked at Peyton for permission and Peyton answered her by helping her remove the shirt. Rachel reattached their lips as her hands rubbed up and down Peyton's sides; Peyton ran her hand up Rachel's shit and ran her hand up and down her back. Peyton broke the kiss and lifted Rachel's shirt off her, Rachel started to kiss down Peyton's jaw.

Rachel reached Peyton's neck and she started to suck, making sure that she left a mark; she couldn't help but a suck a little harder when Peyton moaned. Rachel continued her downward assault, she made sure to pass Peyton's breast and settled on peppering kisses on her stomach. Rachel started to kiss back up Peyton's body until she reached Peyton's lips, as they kissed Rachel reached around Peyton unclasped her bra. Peyton lifted her body, never breaking the kiss, allowing Rachel to remove the bra, Rachel moved away from Peyton's lips again and this time attached her lips to Peyton's left breast as her hand massaged the right one. Peyton moaned as she lost her hands in Rachel's hair, when Rachel switched breasts, Peyton arched her head into the pillow as her breath got caught in a gasp. When Rachel was done with her breast's she licked Peyton down from the valley of her breasts to her stomach, she lifted her eyes to Peyton's as she moved her hand to the button on Peyton's jeans. Peyton gave her a small smile and that was all Rachel needed, she popped the button open and pulled the zipper down. Peyton lifted her hips off the bed so that Rachel could pull her jeans down; as Rachel pulled her jeans down she made sure to scrap her nails on Peyton's legs.

"You've got some great legs Sawyer" Rachel complemented as she ran her hands down the insides of Peyton's thighs.

"I've been told" Peyton said in a breathless voice.

Rachel smiled at her before she dipped her head and started to lick from Peyton's ankle to her inner thighs, she did it to both legs before she once again crawled back up Peyton. Rachel hooked her fingers into Peyton's panties as she looked into her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Peyton simply answered by kissing Rachel.

Rachel removed Peyton panties and Peyton spread her legs, Rachel settled between them with her hand resting on Peyton's thigh. Peyton took a deep breath and arched her body when she felt Rachel touch her, Peyton let out a gasp when she felt Rachel's thumb lightly touch her bundle of nerves. Peyton pushed her head deeper into the pillow, she hand one of her hands in her hair and the other was beside her head. Peyton opened her eyes when she felt Rachel's hand in her own, Rachel leaned down and placed her forehead against Peyton's.

"Do you want to stop?" Rachel whispered against her lips.

"It feels too good to stop" Peyton felt Rachel smile.

Peyton felt a familiar feeling in her stomach and both her and Rachel knew what was coming, Rachel started to kiss down Peyton's body again. Peyton let out a drawn out moan when she felt Rachel's tongue, she grabbed onto Rachel's hair as she crashed over the edge of pleasure.

Peyton was taking deep breaths to calm her body down; she smiled into the soft kiss that Rachel placed on her lips. Peyton opened her eyes and smiled at Rachel, Rachel smiled back as she moved beside Peyton.

"Are you okay?" Rachel ran a hand through Peyton's hair.

"God yeah, I feel like jello" They both let out a laugh. "That was amazing…You're amazing"

"So are you" Rachel leaned down and placed a kiss on Peyton's lips.

"You're saying that not knowing what I can do" Peyton smirked at Rachel.

"Want to show me?" Rachel gave her a seductive look.

"As soon as I can move" Rachel laughed at that.

Peyton turned and moved on top of Rachel.

"I'm going to try and make you feel as good as I just did" Peyton ran her hands down Rachel's ribs.

"Hey, relax; whatever you do to me makes me feel amazing" They smiled at each other as Peyton leaned down and kissed Rachel.

-  
Brooke is sitting in a bar pretty tipsy, she looks over at the bartender and points to her almost finished drink; telling him that she wants vodka neat. Brooke downed her drink when the bartender put her new drink in front of her. Brooke lifted her glass to her lips when someone sat down beside her, she looked to her right and saw a guy checking her out.

"Hey, how about I buy you a drink and we see where this night takes us, what do you say?" The guy gave her a smile and raised an eyebrow.

"Look, you seem like a decent enough guy, so trust me when I tell you that you don't have the equipment I'm looking for" Brooke turned her eyes back to the bar.

"Well you never know, maybe I do" Brooke shook her head before turning back to the guy.

"Believe me, I know" Brooke got up and tossed some cash onto the bar.

Brooke turned and stumbled her way out of the bar, she walked to her car and after a second she thought better of it. Brooke pulled out her cell and somehow managed to call Haley.

"Hello?" Haley asked in a drowsy voice, which is understandable since it's almost 2am.

"Hey Hales, sorry to bug you this late but can I please get a ride?" Brooke opened the passenger side of her car and sat down.

"Are you drunk?" Haley's voice more clear now.

"Yeah" Brooke heard Haley sigh.

"Alright, where are you?"

-  
"Oh my God!" Rachel yelled at the top of lungs when she climaxed. "That was your first time doing that?"

"With a girl" Peyton had to laugh at the way Rachel was panting.

"Well baby, you have some skilled fingers and an amazing tongue" Rachel pulled her blanket around both of them.

"I just did what you did to me" Peyton moved so that her back was against Rachel's front.

"No wonder you felt so good" They both laughed, Rachel wrapped her arm around Peyton's stomach. "This wasn't too fast right?"

"No, I think it was perfect, kind of like a movie moment" Peyton looked over her shoulder and saw Rachel raise an eyebrow. "You know, we fought and then had make up sex" Rachel chuckled and Peyton turned her head back, she snuggled into Rachel a bit more. "Good night Rachel"

"Good night babe"

-  
"I'm going to tell her I love her" Haley looked over at Brooke in shock.

"What?" Brooke looked at Haley, with glazed over eyes before answering.

"I'm going to tell her, drop me off at her house" Haley pulled the car over.

"Brooke, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, you're drunk" Brooke shrugged.

"I'm never going to have the confidence unless I am, Haley I love her and I think it's time she knows" Brooke leaned her head on the window as she looked at Haley.

"What do you expect to come out of this, you think she'll leave Rachel for you?" Haley raised an eyebrow.

"Who knows, maybe, I don't know. Look whatever happens happens, but at least she'll know. If she stays with Rachel fine, but at least she'll know, I just can't keep this inside anymore Haley" Haley sighed as she put the car into drive again.

"Alright, I'll drop you off at her house"

-  
Lucas walked into his house and turned on the kitchen light, when he did he saw his mom sitting at the table waiting for him.

"Okay, I know it's late and I should have called" Karen just shook her head at him.

"Oh my selfish son, that is the least of your worries right now" Before Lucas had a chance to ask her what she meant, Karen cut him off. "How dare you talk to Keith like that?" Lucas rolled his eyes and that sent Karen off. "Don't you dare roll your eyes at me Lucas Scott; that man is as good as a father to you than the one you have and you will apologize to him or so help me God"

"No, what I said is true" Karen got up from her chair and walked closer to Lucas.

"Keith has raised you as his own" Lucas just shrugged. "What is going on with you Lucas?"

"Nothing's going on with me, okay? It's just a change of personality, it comes with growing up" Lucas started to make his way to his room.

"Well this change sucks, I loved you the way you were" Karen made sure that the tightness in her throat could not be heard.

"Everyone has a problem with change, deal with it" Lucas slammed his door shut.

-  
"Thanks for the ride Haley" Brooke stumbled out of the car.

"And you're sure you want to do this Brooke?" Brooke nodded. "What would you say if I told you I don't think you should?"

"She got into a fight with Rachel a little while ago and I sent her back to Rachel because I want her to be happy, that doesn't mean she doesn't have to know how I feel" Brooke ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"Brooke, if she went back to Rachel it means-" Brooke quickly cut Haley off.

"She didn't know how I felt then" Haley shook her head.

"Brooke…" Haley trailed off.

"I need to tell her I'm in love with her, I need to get it off my chest" Haley nodded.

"Alright, I guess good luck then Brooke" Brooke smiled and started to make her way over to the house.

Haley watched her till she got into the house, after a moment Haley took off.

Brooke walked into the dark house and started to make her way over to the lit room, all that was running through her head was what was going to happen when she finally told Peyton how she felt. Peyton would jump into her arms, they would kiss and then Rachel would leave that bitch.

Brooke's hopes were dashed the second she walked into the room and saw no one.

"Peyton?" Brooke yelled, when she got no answer she sat down on the bed. "I'll just wait till she gets home"

Brooke wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but suddenly all she was seeing was the back of her eyelids.


	11. Getting away, but not too far

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I know that this chapter is long you might find it as a filler, I enjoyed writing it let me know what you think and as I promised 2 chapters as an apology for taking so long. Let me know what you think. Are you guys getting tired of the A/N's at the begging of each chapter? I'll stop if you are let me know. As always thank you for the reviews they make me write and give me the inspiration I need so please continue with them and I will keep writing. Love forever and always. **

"Brooke, what are you doing here?" Peyton felt like she should take a step back when Brooke stepped closer.

"I came here to tell you something Peyton" Brooke looked down at her hands before looking back up. "I'm in love with you"

"What?" Peyton looked at her in shock.

"I want to be with you Peyton, you are everything to me and I need you" Brooke took Peyton's hands into her own. "What do you say P. Sawyer, be mine?"

Peyton stepped closer to Brooke, when a smile suddenly appeared on Peyton's face it made Brooke want to jump out of her skin with joy. Peyton leaned forward and let her lips cover Brooke's; the kiss was full of passion and felt amazing. When they pulled away Peyton placed her forehead against Brooke's.

"Brooke…" Peyton ran her hands trough Brooke's hair.

"Yeah?" Brooke asked in a whisper.

"Wake up" Brooke looked at Peyton with question.

"What?" Peyton removed her hands and repeated.

"Wake up, come on Brooke, wake up"

Suddenly Brooke was looking at Peyton's ceiling; she looked to the left and saw Peyton sitting on the bed. She had a hand on Brooke's shoulder and was smirking at her. None of it was real; she had just dreamt it all.

"What are you doing here Brooke?" Peyton asked as she removed her hand from Brooke.

"I got drunk last night" Brooke sat up in the bed and leaned against the headboard.

"So you came here?" Peyton asked with humor in her voice.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something. Where were you last night?" Brooke tried to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

"At Rachel's" She gave Brooke a knowing look. "We kinda took our relationship to the next level last night" It took everything in Brooke to give Peyton a smile.

"That's great for you…guys, great for you guys" They both smiled at each other.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Peyton shifted so that she was in a comfortable position.

"Okay, I need you to listen to me Peyton" Peyton nodded. "Peyton-"

"Baby, let's go" Brooke looked past Peyton and Peyton turned around, Rachel looked at both of them before talking again. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt…I didn't know that there was anything to interrupt, sorry" Rachel was about to leave, but Brooke stopped her.

"No, it's cool, stay I was just about to leave" Brooke got off the bed. "I'll see you in school P. Sawyer"

"Brooke I thought-" Brooke cuts Peyton off.

"No, it's fine" Brooke starts to make her way over to the door, but Peyton stops her again.

"I can drive you to school, we're going soon anyway" Peyton got up as well and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"No thanks, I gotta change anyway" Brooke walked past Rachel and down the stairs.

Rachel waited to hear the door close before she turned back to Peyton.

"What was she doing here?" Rachel gestured over her shoulder.

"She want to tell me something" Peyton started to make her way to the bathroom.

"What about?" Rachel followed her steps.

"I don't know she left instead" Peyton shrugged before closing the bathroom door.

Rachel looked over her shoulder at where Brooke was and let her eyes linger, wondering what Brooke was going to say to Peyton.

-  
"So, did you do it?" Brooke looked beside her and smiled at Haley.

"No, she was at Rachel's all night and yes they did do what you're thinking" Haley gave Brooke a sympathetic nod.

"I'm sorry Brooke" Brooke just gave her a small shrug.

"Do be, it's not your fault" Haley gave her a small smile and pulled her into a side hug.

"Hey girls" Both the girls looked behind them and smiled at Nathan.

"Hey Nate" Brooke gave him a wave.

"Hey Nathan" Haley leaned up and gave him a kiss.

"So Brooke, Haley told me what you were going to do last night" Nathan stepped in between the two girls.

"Yeah well, I didn't do it" Brooke stepped into the school.

"Well it took a lot of courage to consider doing that" Nathan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah liquid courage" They both looked at Haley and after a moment let out a laugh.

As they were walking they noticed a huge crowd, and growing, in the way of their class.

"What the hell is with this crowd?" Nathan asked as he tried to look over the people to see what was going on.

Finally they were able to get to the front of the crowd.

"Woah" Was all Haley could say when she saw what was going on.

"Do they know that their being watched?" Nathan asked as he stared, he tried to look away but he just couldn't; like a car crash, you just can't turn away.

"I-I think their doing it to show people that they don't care about what they think" Haley answered.

Haley and Nathan were finally able to look at Brooke and they felt their heart break at the sadness in her eyes. In front of them were Peyton and Rachel making out against a locker and it killed Brooke to see it.

"I gotta go, I'll see you guys later" Brooke started to walk away, but was pulled back by Haley.

"Brooke…." Brooke pulled her wrist away.

"Don't worry, I'm fine" Brooke put her hands into her pockets and walked away from them.

The bell rang causing Peyton and Rachel to break away; with one last kiss they went their separate ways. Peyton smiled as she walked over to Haley and Nathan.

"That was…something" Nathan said when she finally reached them.

"THAT, was our way of telling people that they can stare and talk but it's not going to change how we feel about each other. Opposite sex couples can make out in public but same sex couples can't?" When she saw how silent they were, she thought that maybe they were upset. "What's wrong? Did it offend you?"

"No Peyton, you guys look happy together and we're happy for you. THAT just kinda took us by surprise" Haley explained as she readjusted her bag.

"It took me by surprise too when Rachel pushed against the locker and did that" They all laughed at that.

"Come on you goof, we'll walk you to class" Nathan nudged her forward.

-  
Brooke was walking down the hallway on her way to lunch, still having to deal with the stares. Brooke kept her head down just so that didn't have to see their eyes, she smiled when she felt an arm wrap around her.

"Hey Nathan" She finally looked up and smiled at him. "I'm so glad that you're here, these damn people are starting to get on my nerves"

"I know" Nathan looked at them as he nodded. "Haley and I were talking and we were thinking about taking a trip to Charlotte this weekend"

"Wow, taking a weekend away together already?" Brooke asked with amusement in her voice.

"No, it's not like that" Nathan answered as he laughed. "Maybe another weekend right now we just want to be there for you. So, we were thinking that the three of us go on a road trip to Charlotte, what do you say?"

"Really?" Brooke's voiced laced with emotion.

"Yeah, sometimes you need to just get away from it all and well it's time that you do, it'll be good for you. So?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah okay, thank you" Brooke turned and pulled him into a hug.

"Stop flirting with her, you're not her type" Lucas said as he started to walk by the two.

Nathan pulled away from Brooke and looked over at Lucas, Brooke saw what was about to happen and had no way of stopping it when it did. Nathan grabbed Lucas by his arm and turned him around, before Lucas had a chance to react Nathan grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him against a locker.

"You son of a bitch, you're really asking for it" Nathan glanced to the left when he felt a hand on his arm.

"Nathan let him go he is not worth it" Brooke pleaded with him.

"I'm starting to think he is" Nathan tightened his grip.

"Then hit me and see what happens" Lucas pressed.

"Nathan?" All three of them looked over to see Haley making her way to them.

Once Haley was close enough, Nathan pulled Lucas away from the locker and then slammed him back into it. Nathan turned and wrapped an arm around Haley; Brooke glared at Lucas before following Nathan and Haley. Lucas grabbed Nathan and turned him around, he swung at Nathan; Nathan ducked and when he came back up hit Lucas square in the jaw knocking Lucas flat on his back.

"Let's go Nathan" Haley pulled him and Brooke away.

-  
"So I was thinking that you should stay with me this weekend" Peyton said as she sat down beside Rachel.

"A whole weekend together huh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I think it could be fun, but if you don't want to-" Rachel cuts her off.

"No, no I want to…I hate spending time away from you anyway" They gave each other a soft smile.

Rachel leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Peyton's lips.

"Peyton, have you seen Brooke?" Peyton looked over at Bevin before answering.

"No, I wonder where the hell she is" Peyton looked down at her watch.

-  
Brooke was making her way into the gym when she heard something that made her stop in her tracks.

"Peyton never seemed like the type to going the cheerleading squad, but now it makes sense right? I room filled with girls jumping around and getting hot" Brooke turned and walked up to the girl that had just said that.

"Megan, right?" Megan nodded. "You better watch your mouth or I swear I will slap the taste out of your mouth"

"What the hell's your problem? I thought the red head was her girlfriend…Unless you three are just one big couple" Megan stepped closer to Brooke.

"She's my best friend, bitch" Brooke stepped closer as well.

"Right" Megan said with sarcasm. "I always thought you guys were too close, now I know why"

-  
"I guess we can take off soon, it doesn't look like Brooke is going to show" Rachel nodded. "I hope she's okay"

Suddenly two people busted through the gym doors and onto the floor, everyone looked over and saw Brooke on top of Megan slapping and punching her; Megan got a few shots in and eventually got on top of Brooke. Suddenly she was lifted up by someone and Brooke was pulled up by another, Brooke lunged at Megan and punched her again before she was pulled back, this time by Peyton.

"Brooke stop, stop" Peyton held her by her waist and held on tight.

"What the hell is going on?" Whitey's voice yelled over all the noise. "Get her out of my gym Tim"

Tim dragged Megan out of the gym, but before she left she yelled one last thing.

"YOU'RE A BITCH DAVIS, WATCH YOUR BACK"

"Ms. Davis, get your pom poms and your girlies and get out of my gym, practice is over" Whitey turned back to his basketball team.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked once she pulled away from Brooke.

"Yeah, sorry girls practice is over I guess" The squad started to leave.

"What was that about?" Peyton reached out and touched the bruise that was forming under Brooke's eye.

"She was just being a bitch" Brooke removed Peyton hand; she walked around Peyton and picked up her bag. "I'll see you later P. Sawyer" Brooke walked out of the gym.

Peyton wasn't sure if she should follow her or not, but Haley, who had seen the whole thing, did it for her.

"I got her" She said to Peyton before walking out of the gym.

"Are you ready to go?" Rachel asked as she handed Peyton her stuff.

"Yeah, let's get out of here" Peyton put her bag on her shoulder and walked out of the gym.

-  
Haley caught up with Brooke just before she got into her car.

"Brooke, wait up" Brooke stopped and turned back to Haley. "What just happened?"

"She…She was talking crap about Peyton and I didn't like what I heard" Haley gave a smirk and nodded.

"Come on, let's get out of here" Haley got into the passenger's side of the car.

"You're not waiting for Nathan?" Brooke asked as she got into the car.

"I need to pack for the trip" Haley said with a smile.

Brooke started the car and took off down the street.

-  
Rachel walked into Peyton's room and put her bag down, as she stood back up a pair of arms wrapped around her waist.

"What, you think you're staying in my room for the weekend?" Peyton joked as she placed kisses on Rachel's neck.

"Well that is the impression you gave off" Rachel tilted her head to the side and gave Peyton better access to her neck.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you'll be staying in the guest room" Peyton's hand found its way up Rachel's shirt and she started to rake her nails on Rachel's toned stomach, Rachel let out a moan causing Peyton to smirk.

"I can persuade you" Rachel lifted her hand and placed in the blond curls behind her.

"Yeah?" Peyton asked as she licked Rachel just below her ear.

Rachel turned and pulled Peyton into a kiss as she started to back up into the bed.

-  
Nathan smiled when he saw Brooke and Haley walking out of the house; he got out of the car to help Brooke with her bags.

"I got these" He said as he took the bags from Brooke.

"Thanks Nathan" Brooke smiled at him; she walked around him and got into the back of the car.

"Are you ready for the 3 hour ride?" Haley asked when she got into the car.

"It'll be fun" Brooke gave her a smile.

"So Brooke, you really pack a punch, huh?" Nathan joked when he got in the car.

"Hurt Haley and you'll find out" The three of them let out a laugh. "Thanks for this guys, I really need to get out of this town for a bit"

"Yeah we figured, that's why we're doing this" Nathan spook to her through the review mirror.

"This trip will be great; it'll get the drama off our brains for a while" Nathan and Brooke both agreed with Haley as the drive started.

-  
"What happened here?" Peyton traced her fingers over the scar on Rachel's stomach; it was so light that Peyton needed to be as close to Rachel as she was right now to see it. The scar wasn't small, just faded.

"I had sugary a few years ago" Rachel answered as she ran her hand through Peyton's hair.

"What did you need sugary for?" Peyton lifted her head so she could look into Rachel's eyes; she let her fingers keep tracing the scar.

"I…I'm not ready to talk about that right now" Rachel pulled her eyes away from Peyton; she let her eyes trail down to where Peyton's hand was. "Another day, just not right now, I'm sorry"

Rachel turned back to Peyton when she felt Peyton place a soft kiss on her temple; Peyton put her forehead against Rachel and gave her a small smile.

"I'm not pushing baby, I'm not pushing" Peyton placed a soft kiss on Rachel's lips before snuggling into her side.

"Thank you" Rachel started to run her fingers up and down Peyton's arm. "I could stay here with you forever Peyton" Rachel turned her head to look at Peyton.

"I'm right there with you" Peyton said with a smile.

-  
"She looks so cute when she's asleep" Haley said as she looked at Brooke over her shoulder.

"Are you turning gay too?" Nathan laughed when Hale gave him a sharp look, but he took a sharp breath when Haley gave him a hard punch in his arm. "It's a joke, relax Hales" Nathan looked at Brooke through the mirror again. "She really does though, she looks peaceful"

"This trip is going to be really good for her, she needs to get away from it" Haley shifted in her seat and looked out her window.

"We all do, I get time away from Dan, you get time away from Lucas, and Brooke gets time away from…well it all" Nathan glanced over at Haley before he turned back to road. "And we get time together too, which is a great thing all on its own" Nathan reached across and placed his hand on top of Haley's.

Haley smiled at him and lifted his hand; she placed a soft kiss on his hand before placing it back in her lap.

"Got any music in your car?" Haley reached for the car stereo.

Before Nathan could tell her not to press play, Haley already did and the music blared. It caused Haley to scream and Brooke to wake up with a jerk, Nathan quickly turned the music down.

"What the hell was that?" Brooke rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Sorry, the last time I used the stereo I had it loud and never turned it down" Nathan couldn't help the laugh in his voice.

"How are you not def?" Haley asked with a raised eyebrow and a little loud, due to the ringing in her ears.

Nathan just let out a laugh.

-  
"Hey Karen" Keith walked into the café and sat down at the counter.

"Hey Keith, do you want a coffee?" Keith nodded, Karen quickly poured the coffee.

"Any…uh...Progress with Lucas?" Keith took a sip of his coffee.

"No" Karen let out a sigh. "I don't know what to do Keith, I mean how am I going to help him if he won't even talk to me. I miss my Lucas"

"It's this whole Peyton loving Brooke thing, it's really ripping him apart" Karen gave him a nod.

"I understand that, it would rip me apart too, but I can't help him if he doesn't talk to me. He is closing himself off, becoming bitter, mean…He's starting to be more and more like…" Karen trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Dan" Keith finished for her.

"Yeah and I raised him better than that, Lucas is a better man than this" Karen started to get teary eyed. "He's always treated us with respect and now I don't even know who he is" Karen wiped her eyes and the tears away.

"He's lost his way Karen and if he wants to find his way back on his own we have to respect that" Keith placed his hand on top of Karen's.

"Not if it means he comes back like Dan that is not my son"

-  
"Plans for your birthday?" Rachel dipped the strawberry into chocolate before feeding it to Peyton.

"I was thinking a party, like huge" Peyton made a 'huge' motion with her hands to indicate how big.

"That's great, I can throw you a huge party at my place and it'll be perfect" Rachel gave Peyton a huge smile.

"I was being sarcastic, I just want a night out with a few friends and then a night alone with you" Peyton gave Rachel the last strawberry before moving the empty plate to the table behind her, but leaving the chocolate bowl beside them on the couch.

"You can still have a night alone with me after the party, come on you never have fun, at least have fun on your birthday" Peyton gave Rachel a slightly offended look.

"How do I not have fun? The first time we got drunk together was at a club and the first time we kissed was at a club, clubs are fun places" Peyton crossed her arms as a way to push her point.

"Fine, did you go on your own free will?" Peyton went silent, so Rachel continued. "No, the first time was because Nathan and Haley made you and the second time was because I made you. So, have fun for your birthday and I promise babe it's going to be great"

"Fine, I'll have fun on my birthday, but I'm only doing it for you" They both let out a laugh.

"Well thank you" Rachel leaned in and kissed Peyton.

The kiss started to get a little steamy, but Peyton decided she was going to have fun. Peyton moved her hand into the bowl filled with chocolate and covered her hand in chocolate, she lifted her hand and smeared the chocolate all over Rachel's face and Rachel broke the kiss right away. Rachel sat up and looked down at Peyton in shock; Rachel moved off the couch and stood at Peyton's legs.

"You did NOT just do that" Rachel put her hand on her hip and looked down at Peyton with playful anger.

"Oh no, I think I did" Peyton said with laugh

"Game on Sawyer" Rachel said before she lunged for Peyton's leg.

Rachel grabbed Peyton's legs and dragged her of the couch; she sat down on top of Peyton. Rachel reached up and started to grab the bowl; before she could get it Peyton flipped them over and held Rachel's hand above her head.

"Where did you learn that?" Rachel asked breathlessly.

"A long time ago, a girls got to know how to protect herself when she's alone most of the time" Peyton took her, still chocolate covered, hand and smudged Rachel's neck. "Rachel and chocolate, I like"

Peyton leaned down and licked up Rachel's neck and then did the same thing to the other side of her neck, Peyton moved her lips to Rachel's and just before their lips could touch Peyton stood up and walked past Rachel.

"You should probably wash up or take a shower to get rid of that sticky feeling" Peyton walked into the kitchen, leaving a very aroused Rachel alone.

"You're such a damn tease Sawyer!" Rachel yelled as she got up.

Peyton laughed but said nothing; Rachel walked into the kitchen and saw Peyton washing a few dishes. Rachel poured a glass of coke and started to talk to Peyton.

"You think its funny do you, getting me all hot and then walking away?" Peyton slightly turned her head to answer Rachel, but when she turned she saw Rachel with a glass of coke and she knew what was coming.

"Rachel, don't I'm sorry" Peyton held her hands out as a defense while laughing.

"Sorry is so not going to cut it" Rachel stepped closer to Peyton.

Peyton reached behind and grabbed the sink sprayer and pointed it at Rachel.

"Bring it on Gatina"

"Oh, you think you're faster than me?" Rachel took a fake step and it caused Peyton to back up a little bit.

"Well I guess we'll find out soon" Peyton held onto the sprayer with one hand and held her free hand out to defend herself.

They were both completely still for a good minute, when suddenly Rachel lunged at Peyton and made sure the sprayer hand was out of the way as she poured the drink on Peyton.

"Guess you'll have to take a shower now too…Here's an idea, let's take one together" Rachel put the glass down and wrapped her arms around Peyton.

"You win this round" Peyton leaned in and kissed Rachel.

-  
"How do you like the room?" Nathan asked as he walked into Brooke's hotel room.

"It's great and this hotel is great" Nathan smiled and let out a laugh.

"Well, that's one perk about being Dan Scott's son, money" Brooke let out a laugh.

"It's the same perk about being a Davis sometimes. Thanks again Nate" Brooke walked up to him and pulled him into a hug.

"You're welcome, we're going to turn in soon but if you need anything let us know" Nathan said once they broke the hug.

Brooke nodded at Nathan and said goodnight, once Nathan left Brooke sat down on her bed and pulled out her cell. She started to scroll through the names before she landed on Peyton's, she had been thinking of her the whole ride and when she fell asleep she ever dreamt of Peyton. Brooke figured maybe she should just call her and say hi. She pressed the call button and waited for Peyton to pick up.

-  
Rachel slammed Peyton into the wall beside her bathroom as they kissed, they had to separate so that they could get their shirts off. Rachel stared to suck on Peyton's neck when Peyton's phone went off with the ring tone she set for Brooke.

"Wait, wait my phone" Peyton said breathlessly as she tried to pull away from Rachel.

"So what, let it go" Rachel moved back to Peyton's lips and caught her in a hungry kiss, but Peyton pulled away quickly.

"I can't, it's Brooke" Again she tried to pull away from Rachel, but Rachel didn't let her go.

"Peyton" Rachel said with an annoyed tone.

"It's Brooke" Rachel finally let her go and Peyton quickly answered her phone. "Hey Brooke"

"Hey P. Sawyer, just wanted to talk"

"Now's not really a good time Brooke" Peyton said once she saw the look on Rachel's face, Rachel was pissed.

"Why, what are you up to?"

"I'm with uh….Rachel" Peyton slightly whispered.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry. I'll go"

"Wait, can we meet up tomorrow and maybe talk in person?" Peyton took a seat on her desk.

"I can't I'm in Charlotte"

"Charlotte, what are you doing in Charlotte?" Peyton raised an eyebrow, ever though Brooke couldn't see it.

"Nathan, Haley and I took a trip, don't worry about it Peyton. I'll talk to you later"

"Brooke…" Peyton trailed off.

"It's cool Peyton, I'll talk to you later" Brooke hung up before Peyton had a chance to say anything.

When Peyton heard the dial tone she moved the phone away from her ear and closed it.

"Are you coming?" Rachel asked as she walked into the bathroom.

"Yeah" Peyton answered after a moment.

-  
Brooke tossed her phone on her bed and covered her face with her hands in frustration, a knock on her door made her get up. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Haley on the other side.

"Hey, I thought you guys were turning in" Brooke opened the door wider to let Haley in.

"We were, but Nathan decided he was going to take a shower instead so I decided to come here" Haley sat down on the bed and looked back at Brooke, when she did she saw sadness in her eyes. "What's wrong Brooke?"

"I called Peyton" Haley gave her a look that said keep going. "And she was with Rachel and I'm guessing about to have sex"

"Brooke, I'm sorry" Brooke waved off her apology.

"I just wish I didn't get so upset about it, I mean she's aloud to do this, she doesn't know how I feel. She's with her girlfriend, their aloud to have sex…It just hurts I guess" Brooke controlled the tears, but couldn't hide the crack in her voice.

"Of course it does, come here" Haley stood up and opened her arms, Brooke walked into them.

"Let's talk about something else, how's your love life Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked when they pulled away.

"It's good, but…" Brooke raised an eyebrow; she moved them to the bed.

"What's wrong Haley?" Haley sighed before answering.

"How do you wait to sleep with someone?" Haley looked away from Brooke when she asked her question.

"Less than a month, have you and Nathan not slept together yet?" Haley shook her head. "Haley, are you still a virgin?"

"Yeah, I am" Haley still didn't look at Brooke.

"That is not something you should be embarrassed about Hales, waiting for someone special and right is a great thing" Haley finally looked at Brooke with a smile.

"Thing is, I'm afraid that he's going to get it from someone else when he doesn't get it from me" Brooke just shook her head.

"Nathan's not like that, he would never do that to you" Haley let out a scoff.

"Brooke, you do remember what Nathan was like before we started dating right?" Brooke let out a laugh as she nodded.

"Yeah I do but like you said it was before you dated him, you made him better. Nathan's been around, but the difference between all those girls and you is he loves you. That right there means that you've gone further with him than any other girl ever has" Haley pulled Brooke into another hug.

"Thank you Brooke"

-  
The weekend had gone by faster than anyone expected, Saturday had been fun for Brooke, Haley and Nathan. They had gone site seeing in Charlotte and saw a basketball game, the Bobcats vs. the Raptors, Brooke of course went shopping and bought a few things.

Peyton and Rachel spent Saturday outside of the house buying things for the birthday party that Rachel wanted to throw her and when night hit they went out dancing.

It was Sunday already and time for the three of them to go home, Nathan and Haley were waiting in their hotel room for Brooke, and they were packed and ready to go. Nathan opened the door when there was a knock, he was happy when he saw Brooke standing on the other side.

"Finally, where have you been?" Nathan stepped aside and let Brooke into the room.

"I know we have to go, but I bought something and you guys have to see it" Brooke dug into the bag that was in her hands and pulled out a black leather jacket.

"Wow Brooke that is a great jacket" Haley walked up to Brooke and took the jacket.

"Yeah Brooke, that's going to look hot on you" Nathan walked up behind Haley and checked out the jacket too.

"Yes it would, but it's going to look hotter on Peyton" They both gave Brooke a confused look. "I bought it for her; it's her birthday next Friday"

"That's right, it's a nice jacket to Brooke…This must have been really expensive" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, but like I said, money is one of the perks of being a Davis" They both let out a laugh.

"Alright, put the jacket in the bag, grab your stuff and let's get going" Brooke nodded at Haley and made her way to her room.

-  
"This has been a great weekend right?" Rachel nodded at Peyton as she packed her bag.

"Yeah it's been a great time, except that your mind was on Brooke a lot" Peyton let out a sigh.

"She's going to be on my mind Rachel, something is wrong and we haven't had a chance to talk about it" Peyton got up from the bed, but didn't go near Rachel. "Every time that we try something get's in the way"

"Like me?" Rachel turned and looked at Peyton.

"You need to drop this" Peyton walk right up to Peyton's face. "If you don't let this go, this is going to break us apart"

"I just feel like it's a competition between us for your heart" Rachel said with head down.

"How is there a competition? She doesn't feel that way about me" Peyton ran frustrated hands through her hair.

"And if she did?" Rachel snapped.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get there" Peyton pulled Rachel closer to her if possible. "There is no competition for my heart, it's yours and only yours okay?"

"Okay" Rachel leaned in and kissed Peyton, Peyton broke the kiss and pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Is it dropped?" Peyton ran her hands up and down Rachel's back.

"Yeah it's dropped" Rachel pulled back from the hug and kissed Peyton again.

As they kissed, Peyton ran her tongue on Rachel's bottom lip and Rachel was quick to accept it.

"Do you have time for one more round Gatina?" Peyton mumbled against Rachel's lips.

"Oh yeah" They quickly moved the kiss to the bed.

-  
"Welcome back to hell" Nathan said as they passed the 'Welcome to Tree Hill" sign.

"Better known as Tree Hill" Nathan and Haley let out a laugh.

They soon made it to Brooke's house, once they got out of the car they helped Brooke take out all her bags.

"Do you want us to help you get the bags into the house?" Nathan asked as he closed the trunk.

"No it's fine, you guys have done enough" Brooke pulled Haley into a hug and then Nathan. "Thank you so much for this trip, I love you guys"

"We love you too Brooke" Haley said. "We'll see you Monday then"

Brooke waved at both of them as they drove off; she bent down to pick up her bag when she heard a car dive up. Brooke looked up and smiled when she saw Peyton get out of her car.

"Hey Peyton" Brooke stood up and put her hand into her coat pockets.

"Hey Brooke" Peyton walked up to Brooke.

"Talk about good timing, how did you know I would be back?" Peyton gave her a shrug.

"I didn't, I was just dropping Rachel off, she lives in the same area" Brooke gave her a nod. "How was Charlotte? It looks like you had a good time" Peyton pointed to all the shopping bags on the ground.

"You know me, I love to shop. The trip was great, it was good to get away for a while" Silence took over before Brooke broke it. "How was your weekend?"

"It was good, Rachel stayed with me for the weekend" Brooke forced a smile. "Come on, I'll help you take your stuff in" Before Brooke could protest Peyton grabbed some of the bags.

"Thanks" Brooke smiled at her and picked up the bags as well.

They finally get everything into Brooke's room and place everything down.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you Monday" Peyton, turned to walk out of the room.

"Peyton" Peyton turned back around, she was take back when Brooke wrapped her arms around her. Peyton hesitated for a second before she wrapped her arms around Brooke. "I know I told you that I just didn't want to be enemies anymore, but I want to go back to what we are…I want to be best friends again, I miss you Peyton"

"I miss you too Brooke" Peyton tightened her arms around Brooke. "I want nothing more than to be the way we were. I won't hurt you or betray this friendship again I promise"

"I trust you" Hearing Brooke say that brought tears to Peyton's eyes, she trusted her.

Once they pulled away, they said their goodbyes and Peyton left the house. Once Peyton left, Brooke sat down on her bed with a smile on her face.

"One step at a time"


	12. A toast to my love for you

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, heres chap 2 as promised. After this chap I might skip some months and fast track the story a bit, but i do want to know what you think of that idea, please let me know what you think matters to me. Please review and let me know what you think of this chap. Love forever and always. **

A week had gone by and the school seemed to accept Peyton, Brooke and Rachel a little bit more, others in the school had stayed the same and were still giving them a hard time. Right now Peyton was standing at her locker packing her bag for the books she would need for class. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her stomach and hugged her from the back.

"Happy Birthday P. Sawyer" Brooke whispered in her ear.

Peyton turned and with a smile and pulled Brooke into a hug.

"Thanks B. Davis"

During the week, Brooke and Peyton have started to step back into their old friendship. However, they were both still holding back a little, Peyton was because she didn't want to give Rachel a reason to get jealous and Brooke was because she didn't want to get too close and let her feelings get in the way of their friendship.

"You are coming to the party tonight right?" Peyton asked as they started to walk through the hallways.

"Yeah, but only because it's you" Brooke said with a roll of her eyes.

"Well I appreciate it" Peyton gave Brooke a playful nudge.

"Why are you having it at her house Peyton?" Brooke whined.

"She's my girlfriend Brooke and she wanted to do this for me" Peyton put her hands into her pockets.

"Fine, I guess that's a good enough reason" They both let out a laugh. "Who's going to come to this? I mean half the school can't stand us" Brooke indicated around them to prove her point.

"Yeah, but are can go, like the squad, the basketball team, the river court boys and a few others. It's going to be great and fun" Peyton waved as she talked when she saw Rachel standing with Nathan and Haley.

"There's going to be alcohol there right? Because I'm going to need it" Brooke looked at Rachel as she said those words.

"Yeah, there's going to be alcohol" Peyton said with a laugh.

Once they reached the other three, Rachel was quick to pull Peyton into a kiss. Brooke looked away, while Nathan and Haley looked at her.

"Happy Birthday baby" Rachel said with a smile once they pulled apart.

Nathan and Haley both hugged her and wished her Happy Birthday as well.

"Alright, so everyone knows that the party starts at 8, you can get there early but we'll probably be having sex" Peyton smacked the arms that wrapped around her.

"Rachel!" Rachel just tightened her arms.

"Well it's true" Everyone let out a laugh except for Brooke.

"Alright cool, can't wait" Nathan said as he wrapped his arm around Haley.

The 5 of them made light conversation till the bell rang and they went their own ways.

-  
Brooke was in her room wrapping up Peyton's birthday present; once she was done she left her house to take a walk to Karen's Café. On her walk, Brooke passed a clothing store and when she looked inside she saw Peyton. Brooke made her way into the store.

"Hey P. Sawyer" Brooke said as she walked up to Peyton.

"Hey B. Davis" Peyton smiled at her before looking back at the clothing. "Okay, what do you think of this?" Peyton pulled out a blue long sleeve shirt and held it against herself.

"Depends what you're buying it for" Brooke eyed the shirt up and down.

"Tonight" Brooke started to shake her head.

"No" Brooke took the shirt and hung it back up.

"No?" Peyton asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because it's not sexy enough" Brooke started to look around the store. "Okay, here blue skinny jeans, tight black t-shirt and uh….These converse" Brooke shoved all the items into Peyton's hands.

"Okay, I can't afford all these things Brooke. I was only looking for a top" Brooke turned around and shrugged.

"Who said anything about you buying it? It's your birthday Peyton, I'm buying it for you" Before Peyton had a chance to protest Brooke quickly grabbed the items back and placed them on the counter.

"Thank you Brooke" Brooke looked over her shoulder and smiled at Peyton.

Once Brooke bought the stuff they walked out of the store.

"Where're you headed?" Peyton asked before she got into the car.

"Karen's Café" Brooke answered as she put Peyton's things in the back of the car.

"Alright I am too, hop in" Brooke nodded.

Before Brooke and Peyton got into the car, a basketball flu at the car. The ball hit the hood of the car and bounced in to the front seat. Both the girls looked up to see what had happened after they recovered from their shock; in front of them was a smug looking Lucas.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You could have broken my damn windshield!" Peyton yelled, she was pissed beyond belief.

"Sorry, the ball slipped from my hand" Lucas started to walk over to them.

"Funny, I hear you're great with _balls" Brooke said as she picked up the basketball from the car._

"Says the biggest slut in Tree Hill" That angered Peyton even more than the ball hitting her car.

"Lucas you better start walking before I make sure you can't" Peyton glared at Lucas as she spoke the words.

"I forgot, you bitches like to stick together" Lucas stepped closer to Peyton than Brooke liked.

"You better take a step back from her" Brooke pulled back Peyton a little so she could be in front of Lucas.

"Oh what are you going to do Brooke?" Lucas gave her a little shove, nothing that would make her fall or get hurt, but enough to anger Brooke.

Brooke looked down at the basketball in her hand before she quickly chucked it at Lucas' face, Lucas' basketball reflects knocked the ball away from his face. When he looked back at Brooke, she saw nothing but pure anger in his blue eyes. Lucas lunged at Brooke and shoved her against Peyton's car; he gripped her arms as hard as he could.

"Lucas, get off her!" Peyton started to pull at Lucas with no avail.

Suddenly Lucas was pulled off Brooke and shoved away, Lucas turned to see who had pulled him and saw Keith standing in front of Brooke and Peyton.

"Take a walk Luke" Keith spoke to him in a calm voice but his eyes spoke a different story.

Lucas glared at Brooke for a second longer before he grabbed the basketball off the ground and stormed away.

"Are you okay?" Peyton started to rub Brooke's arms up and down.

"Yeah I'm good, thanks Keith" Brooke placed her hands on top of Peyton's and stopped her hands from rubbing. "I'm okay" Peyton nodded and removed her hands.

"Are you girls sure you're okay?" They both nodded at Keith.

"Are you going to the Café?" Peyton asked and Keith nodded. "So are we, get in"

All three of them got into the car and Peyton drove them to the Café, on the way Brooke tried her best to not show the pain she was in. However, her arms were killing her; Lucas had held her so tight she was certain that he left bruises. They finally reached the Café, as soon as they got in Brooke made her way to the bathroom.

"Is everything okay?" Karen voice laced with concern when she saw Brooke rush to the bathroom.

"We had a confrontation with Lucas" Peyton answered as she took a seat at the counter.

"It was more than a confrontation, Lucas attacked Brooke" Karen looked at Keith in shock.

"Oh my God" Karen covered her mouth in complete shock.

"Lucas shoved her, Brooke through a basketball in his face, and Lucas lunged" Peyton gave her the abridged version.

"I need to go talk to him" Karen started to untie her apron, but Keith stopped her.

"Not right now, he's not in the right state of mind, give him a little more time" Karen nodded with hesitation in her eyes.

"I'm going to go check on Brooke" Peyton got up and made her way over to the bathroom.

When Peyton walked into the bathroom she saw Brooke staring at her arms in the mirror, she caught Brooke's attention when she gasped. Peyton gasped when she saw Brooke's arms, Lucas had left finger bruises on both her arms where he grabbed her. They looked painful.

"Oh my God, Brooke" Peyton quickly made her way over to Brooke and ran her fingers gently over the bruises.

"It's okay, it's not as bad as it looks" Peyton gave Brooke a skeptic look. "Okay, it's pretty bad but I'll be fine"

"I'm going to kill him" Peyton looked back down at the bruises and felt anger build up.

"I'm going to be fine P. Sawyer" Peyton looked up and their eyes locked, Peyton found herself getting lost in Brooke's eyes.

They broke eye contact when they heard the bathroom door open and saw Haley walk in.

"Hey guys, Karen told me what happened. Are you guys okay?" Haley walked up to them and was also shocked when she saw Brooke's arms. "I can't believe Lucas did that"

"Well let's not think about it, it's over and in the past. Let's keep this between the ones who know, Nathan might kill him if he finds out" The girls nodded and laughed, Brooke grabbed her jacket and put it back on.

Peyton phone went off; she opened it and read the text from Rachel.

"Alright, I'm going to go get changed and head to Rachel's. Do you guys need a ride anywhere?" Peyton started to make her way out of the bathroom.

Both Haley and Brooke said no and that they would meet her at the party later.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry about it" Haley gave her a small nod as they walked out of the bathroom.

-  
Soon enough it was time for the party and Rachel's house was packed with people; everyone was drinking and having a good time. There was no animosity toward Peyton and Rachel and it felt good to be around people that loved Peyton.

Peyton was standing with the Cheerleading Squad when she saw Brooke walk in.

"Brooke!" Peyton ran up to her and hugged her.

"Hey Peyton, looks like everyone's having a good time" Brooke said once they pulled back.

"Yeah, you want a drink?" Peyton pointed to her own drink.

"Sure thanks, you know what I like. I'm just going to put your gift down" Peyton nodded and took off to get Brooke a drink.

Peyton came back to Brooke and handed her the drink, she guided Brooke to the back of the living room where the group was. Brooke hugged everyone and then sat down between Peyton and Nathan; she snuggled into Nathan, in a friendly way, when he wrapped his arm around her.

They were all laughing and talking, when Rachel made her way toward them.

"Hey baby, I haven't seen you all party" Peyton gave her a pout.

"I know I'm sorry, I'm yours for the rest of the party I promise" Rachel leaned down and kissed Peyton's pouted lips.

"Good, then come here" Peyton got up and Rachel sat down in her spot so that Peyton could sit in her lap.

Brooke looked at and Nathan when she felt him run his fingers up and down her arm, when she looked at him she saw a sympathetic look on his face. Brooke smiled and placed her head on his shoulder.

After the pizza arrived and people started to eat, Rachel decided it was time to make her toast.

"Can I get everyone's attention please?" Almost right away, all eyes were on her. "I would like to make a toast to Peyton for her birthday, I hope you had a great day baby and I hope you have even better ones to come. I hope this party was fun for you and I just wanted to say one more thing, so come here" Peyton made her way over to Rachel, Rachel took Peyton's hand in her own. "I've had more fun with you since we've gotten together than ever and I am happier with you than anyone else, you make me smile and laugh and love life. I'm insanely, madly and unbelievably in love with you" Peyton looked at Rachel in shock.

"What?" Everyone in the room was as shocked at Peyton.

"I'm in love with you" Finally Peyton's face broke out in a smile.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that" Peyton placed her forehead against Rachel's. "I love you too" As soon as their lips touched, everyone in the room broke out in applause.

As soon as Peyton said 'I love you' Brooke walked out of the house and was standing in the backyard, Nathan and Haley both noticed. Brooke was standing in the backyard; with tears in her eyes because now she realized that it was too late the girl she loves was out of her grasp.

Once Rachel had to let Peyton go to get the cake, Peyton looked around to find and when she couldn't find her, her eyes looked for Haley. When Peyton's eyes connected with Haley, she mouthed 'Brooke' and Haley pointed to the backyard. Peyton quickly made her way outside.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked once she reached Brooke's side.

"Yeah, congrats on that I love you thing" Brooke pulled Peyton into a hug and forced the tears back when they pulled away.

"Thanks, it felt amazing to say" Brooke gave her the best smile she could muster. "Look I wanted to talk to you about something" Peyton took Brooke's hand and sat them down on the patio. "You know how there are no clubs here that we can get into without a fake ID?" Brooke nodded. "Well I was thinking of opening a club"

"Wow, that's a great idea Peyton" Brooke said with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, but I need a place, money, a DJ and bands" Brooke just gave her a shrug.

"What if I help you out?" Peyton gave her a confused look. "You just worry about the bands and DJs and leave the rest to me"

"Brooke I could never ask you to do that for me, I just wanted to talk to you about it" Once again Brooke simply shrugged.

"You're not asking, I'm doing it because I want to. Let me help P. Sawyer" Brooke took a big gulp from her drink.

"Okay, thank you Brooke" Peyton hugged her once again.

"Peyton, time to cut the cake" Nathan said when he walked outside.

Peyton nodded and all three of them walked back into the house, once the cake was cut it was time to open gifts. Brooke's gift was the last one that Peyton had opened and when she did she was speechless.

"Brooke, this is beautiful, thank you so much" Peyton put the jacket on and hugged Brooke.

"Good, I'm glad you like it" Brooke said as she hugged her back.

"I love it Brooke" They pulled back and smiled at each other.

Rachel had given Peyton a necklace with her name on it and a bracelet with 'PS + RG= Forever' and Peyton loved them both.

It was around 3:00am when the party came to an end, Nathan, Haley and Brooke stayed behind to help Rachel and Peyton clean up the house.

"Alright guys thanks for the help" Rachel said as Brooke, Nathan and Haley were getting ready to leave.

"Anytime" Nathan gave both the girls a smile.

"Happy Birthday again Peyton" Haley said when she gave Peyton one last hug.

"You throw one hell of a party Gatina" Brooke said as she also pulled away from a hug with Peyton.

"Thanks Brooke, I've been told" Rachel smiled at Brooke, with slight shock that Brooke had just complemented her.

"Alright, come on Brooke we'll give you a ride" Nathan stepped out of the house and waited for the two girls.

"Thanks guys" Brooke smiled once more at Peyton as her and Haley walked out of the house.

Once Rachel closed her front door she took Peyton's hand and led her upstairs, after a passionate night they just lay in each other's arms.

"Thank you for tonight Rachel, it was amazing" Peyton placed a soft kiss on Rachel's neck.

"I'll do anything for you, I'm just glad that you had a great time tonight" Rachel leaned down and kissed Peyton.

"I did, goodnight…I love you" Peyton said with a huge smile.

"I love you too, God it feels so good to say that" They both let out a laugh as they drifted off to sleep.


	13. Don't say it, because I can't take it

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, I know I said that I would skip months and I am after this chapter and you'll understand after you read it...At least I hope you will LOL. Anywho, about this chap, it was fun to write though emotional and I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think cause you know I love to know, you guys are the best the reviews are amazing so please keep them coming because they keep me going. Love forever and always. **

"Tell me that it didn't mean anything to you and I'll let you go" Brooke said while she kept herself between the door and Peyton.

"Brooke…" Peyton's eyes and voice pleaded. "Please don't do this"

"It meant something to you, didn't it?" Brooke's voice laced with emotion and unshed tears.

"No" Peyton kept her eyes down.

"Peyton, look me in the eye and tell me" Brooke walked up to Peyton and lifted her chin.

"It didn't mean anything to me" Peyton looked Brooke dead in the eyes.

Peyton walked past Brooke and headed for the door, but Brooke grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Peyton, I-"

"Don't" Peyton pulled her wrist back. "Don't

**1 Day Before **

Since Peyton had told Brooke about opening a club last week, Brooke has been searching for places that were for rent and trying to figure out who was the best person to sponsor the club. Brooke is driving around right now trying to find a venue once again, as she turned a corner she found a building that was once an after school program. The same after school program that Peyton and Brooke used to attend, this building was perfect. Brooke drove closer to the building and wrote down all the information before driving away.

Brooke made her way to Karen's Café, she going to grab a coffee and then discus the building over with Peyton.

"Hey Hales" Brooke greeted as she sat down at the counter.

"Hey Brooke, what can I get you?" Haley leaned on the counter.

"Two double double's to go" Haley nodded and started to get the coffees. "So I found the perfect place for the club that Peyton wants to open"

"Oh…Uh, what did she call it….Oh, Tric, right?" Brooke nodded when Haley looked at her for an answer. "Where's the place?"

"It's few blocks down from here, it's this old after school program that Peyton and I used to go to" Brooke said as she dug into her purse to grab some money.

"Tree Hill After School?" Haley asked with excitement, Brooke nodded. "Lucas and I went there too, that's where Lucas used to always drool over Pey…Sorry" Haley quickly covered and Brooke laughed. "Any luck on that sponsor?" Haley handed Brooke the two cups.

"Nope, you wouldn't happen to know anyone that would be interested, would you?" Brooke asked as she put her money on the counter.

"Um…Karen, Brooke she would be perfect" Brooke raised a curious eyebrow, so Haley explained. "The Café could use the attention and I'm sure she would love to help Peyton"

"That's actually not a bad idea, is she here?" Haley nodded and went into the back.

"Hey Brooke" Karen said with a nervous laugh as Haley, practically, dragged her to the front.

"Hey Karen, I just have one question" Karen nodded. "Peyton wants to open an all ages club, but in order to open it she needs a sponsor. Would you like to be the sponsor of Tric Karen?"

"I don't know Brooke…" Karen had hesitation n her voice.

"It'll be great Karen, the club with bring a lot of attention and business to the Café" Karen wanted to laugh at the enthusiasm that laced Brooke's voice.

"How about you get Peyton down here and let Deb and me talk to her, then we'll make a decision" Karen couldn't help the smile that made it on her face when Brooke squealed.

"Alright, I'll go get her right now" Brooke grabbed the coffees and bolted out the door.

-  
"Can I ask you something?" Rachel asked as she ran her hand through Peyton's hair.

They had just been lying in Peyton's bed talking.

"What's up?" Peyton looked up at Rachel.

"I'm not jealous and I'm not saying that it means anything, but why did you tell Brooke about Tric first?"Rachel kept her eyes away from Peyton.

"Brooke's my best friend and for as long as I can remember we've always told each other first, before saying anything to anyone else" Rachel nodded, but kept her eyes away.

"Hey" Peyton turned Rachel's face to face her. "But you're not jealous" Peyton leaned down and kissed her, Rachel shook her head. "Because it's dropped" Rachel nodded as Peyton placed another kiss on her lips.

Before Peyton could pull back, Rachel held on to the back of her head and kept the kiss going. Rachel bit down on Peyton's lip gently causing Peyton to gasp; Rachel quickly slipped her tongue into Peyton's mouth. They both let out a moan at the contact.

The girls were so caught up in each other that they didn't hear the door to Peyton's house open and close, they didn't hear the rushed footsteps coming up the stairs.

-  
"Peyton!" Peyton quickly pulled away from Rachel and looked up at Brooke. "Sorry, sorry I…Sorry" Brooke turned her eyes away when she walked into the room and made sure to keep her eyes away.

"Brooke, it's cool. What's up?" Peyton asked with an awkward laugh.

"I just wanted to tell you that I found a place for Tric and I might have found a sponsor…Karen" Brooke kept her eyes on Peyton, trying her best not to look at Rachel.

"Brooke, that's great" Peyton sat up in the bed and Rachel followed.

"Yeah, but she wants to talk to you first. There's no certainty that she will, she might need a little bit of convincing" Peyton nodded as she got off the bed.

"Alright, let's go" The three of them made their way out of Peyton's house. "Are you coming with us babe?" Peyton asked when they stepped out of the house.

"No, I gotta go do some stuff around the house" Rachel pulled Peyton into a deep kiss, when she pulled back she placed her forehead against Peyton's. "Good luck with Karen"

"Thanks, love you" Peyton pulled her forehead back and smiled at Rachel.

"Love you too" Rachel gave her one more kiss.

Rachel got into her car and took off down the road.

"My car or yours?" Peyton asked as she watched Rachel drive away.

"Mine" Peyton nodded and walked to the passenger side. "Coffee's yours" Brooke said once they got into the car.

"Thanks" Peyton took the coffee and took a slow sip, careful to not spill any on her or the car seat.

"Look, about me walking in on you and Rachel…" Brooke trailed off not sure how to finish the sentence.

"Brooke, don't worry about it…It was bound to happen" Peyton wiggled her eyebrows; they both let out a laugh. Brooke's fake and Peyton's real.

-  
"What are you doing here Keith?" Keith turned and saw Lucas standing in the entrance to his room.

"Here" Keith threw Lucas a fishing rod. "Change and pack a bag, we're going fishing"

"What?" Lucas stepped more into his room and closed the door behind him.

"We're going fishing" Keith said slowly, as if Lucas was five. "Come on, let's go"

"Keith, I don't want to go anywhere" Lucas threw the rod on to his bed.

"Well too bad, we're going to go out on the ocean, fish, clear your head and talk" Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I really don't want to talk" Keith just gave him a shrug.

"Fine, then we'll go fishing, clear your head and be silent. Either way, we're going" Lucas let out a sigh.

"How long?" Lucas went into his closet and grabbed a bag.

"A day, we'll be back tomorrow" Keith turned and walked out of Lucas' room.

-  
Nathan was shooting some hoops at the river court, he ran and hit a 360 dunk and as he landed he turned and saw his dad walking up to him.

"Hi son, you know I saw someone playing basketball and I thought 'That looks a lot like my son, but it can't be because my son wouldn't slum it' but here you are" Nathan let out a frustrated sigh.

"What do you want dad?" Dan looked around and ignored his question.

"I just can't wrap my head around why you would want to play here when you have a perfectly good court outside your own house?" Dan crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Nathan.

"Because the further I get from you the better for me" Nathan tucked his basketball under his arm.

"How's Haley?" Dan smiled that smile that made Nathan want to whip the basketball at his face.

"Don't talk about her dad" Nathan glared at Dan.

"I just think you could do better son" Dan gave him a shrug as he stuffed his hand into his pocket.

"I know it's hard for you to understand how people can be in happy relationships, but that's what I'm in, a happy relationship" Nathan had to clench his fist when Dan let out a laugh.

"There are a billion women out there that you could be with" Dan stepped closer to Nathan.

"None of them are Haley" Nathan dropped the basketball to the ground and clenched his other fist.

"Yeah, they're better" Dan said with a smirk.

"Dad, you need to walk away before I knock you out" Nathan spoke through clenched teeth.

"I'll see you around son" Dan patted his shoulder as he walked away, Nathan jerked his shoulder away.

Once Dan was out of sight, Nathan picked up the basketball and clenched it between his hands before he whipped it at the backboard. When the ball came back at him, he punched it as hard as he could away from him.

-  
"Alright, we'll do it" Peyton and Brooke both looked at Karen and Deb in shock.

"Are you serious?" Deb let out a laugh and Karen smiled.

"Yes Peyton, we're serious. This is going to be great for the café and you, so yes" Peyton jumped up and pulled Karen and Deb into a hug.

"Thank you so much" Brooke smiled at the scene, seeing Peyton so happy made her so happy.

"You're welcome, now Brooke you said that you found a place and we would like to see it" Deb said as she pulled away from Peyton.

"Yeah sure thing" Brooke stood up and pulled her keys out.

"Haley, are you okay with holding this place down while we go with Brooke?" Karen asked as she grabbed her jacket.

"Yeah, go, go" Haley waved them off with a smile.

They all got into Brooke's car and she started to drive them to the venue, once they got there Brooke looked over at Peyton and smiled; hoping that she would remember what this place was.

"Is this the after school program that we used to go to?" Peyton looked over at Brooke with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah" They both smiled at each other.

"Lucas used to go here too" Karen looked at the place with a smile as well.

"Yeah, Haley was telling me that" Brooke looked over her shoulder at Karen.

"Alright, well call the building and set up a meeting, let us know when we have to sign the lease" Deb said as she leaned back from looking at the building.

"Yeah, for sure" Brooke took the car back down the road.

-  
It was later in the night and Lucas had not said a word to Keith, Keith was determined. He was certain that if he waited out there long enough Lucas would say something.

"I'm sorry" He was right.

"What?" Keith turned his head and looked at him.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you and mom" Lucas turned his eyes away from the water and to Keith.

"Why have you been treating us the way you have?" Lucas let out a sigh and shrugged.

"It just seemed easier" Keith gave him a confused look. "If I was being a jackass, then people would stop caring and I wouldn't have to talk about it"

"Lucas that is the…Stupidest thing I have ever heard" An offended look crossed Lucas' face. "Lucas, we're your family and we are always going to care about you no matter what"

"I never said I thought it through" They both let out a laugh.

"You really upset your mom Luke" Lucas turned his eyes downward.

"I just didn't want to admit to any of it" Lucas looked up again, but kept his eyes away from Keith.

"I understand that you're in pain Lucas, but that doesn't give you the right to treat your mother the way you have" When Lucas looked back at him, Keith saw tears in Lucas' eyes.

"I know and I wanted to apologize, but I was afraid that if I broke down in front of mom I wouldn't be able to hold up in school" Lucas' voice cracked as he explained.

"Your mom should have been the first person to talk to about this; she would never judge you Lucas. When we get home I think you should talk to her" Lucas nodded as he wiped his eyes. "Do you want to talk about the Brooke and Peyton thing?" Lucas shook his head. "It's going t feel better once you get it off your chest"

"There's not much to talk about, it just sucks that the one you love will never love you back" Keith gave him a small nod.

"You can't help who you love Lucas, could you help that you loved Peyton when you were with Brooke?" Lucas shook his head. "Peyton could really use your support right now, that school is not making it easy on her or Brooke or Rachel right now"

"Why should I support any of them when no one supported me through this Peyton thing?" Lucas shifted so he could be more comfortable.

"Because you turned into a jackass" Keith said with a laugh. "I'm sure Haley would have stuck by your side if you didn't pull the stuff you did"

"I guess you're right" Lucas looked away again.

"When we go home, you need to apologize to everyone you've screwed up with" Lucas let out a laugh.

"I don't know if any of them could forgive me" Keith shrugged as he grabbed the paddles.

"If they don't then they don't, but at least you can say you tried" Lucas nodded with a small smile.

-  
It was around 1 in the morning and Brooke and Peyton are on Peyton's bed looking over a sketch that Peyton drew of venue for Tric. They were planning out where things should be and how they should look, Peyton told Brooke she wanted to go back to the building after they dropped Karen and Deb off so that she could see the inside of the building. They had called the people leasing the building and set up a time, Peyton, Karen and Deb had a meeting set for 1 in the afternoon tomorrow to sign for the lease.

"What do you think the inside of Tric should look like color wise?" Peyton asked as she pointed to the bars that she had sketched.

"I was thinking black bars with Tric written in blue and white, you know Raven colors" Brooke gave her a soft smile.

"That's a good idea, I really like that" Peyton smiled when she saw Brooke let out a yawn. "Okay, I'm going to go make some coffee"

They both let out a laugh as Peyton got up and made her way out the door. Brooke looked down at the sketch and didn't even realize when she closed her eyes and put her head down, but before she knew it she fell asleep it had been a long day and she was tired as hell.

It was a little while before Peyton walked back into the room and when she looked up she smiled at a sleeping Brooke, she put the coffee mugs down and picked up her sketch and pencil from the bed. Peyton walked over to her desk and placed them there before walking back over to Brooke and put her blanket over her, then she went back to her desk to work on a few sketches. It didn't take long before her eyes started to feel heavy, she turned her eyes back to Brooke and wondered if it would be a good idea to sleep in the same bed as Brooke.

_If I can sleep in the same bed as her and not feel anything then I know I'm over her…I mean we've done this a million times before and this time I'm in love…Screw it, I'm going to bed. _

Peyton stood up and got under her covers as well, it took a second for her to get comfortable and soon enough she was asleep.

Morning came faster than Peyton liked, when she looked over at the time she saw that she had enough time to just lay in bed for a second. Suddenly an arm made its way around her stomach; Peyton quickly removed the arm and got out of bed. She looked over her shoulder at Brooke before heading to the bathroom to change for the meeting.

When Peyton got out of the bathroom, Brooke was still asleep, Peyton debated with herself if she should wake her up or not. After a few seconds she decided to let her sleep, Peyton grabbed her keys and left the house.

-  
"Hey Haley" Haley turned and saw Lucas walk into the café.

"Hi" Haley said without looking at him.

"Uh…Is my mom here?" Lucas walked over to the counter and took a seat.

"Lucas?" Lucas turned his seat around and saw his mom walking into the café with Deb.

"Guess that answers your question" Haley said with anger lacing her voice.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second…Alone?" Karen gave him a small nod.

"Come on Haley, let's o to the back" Deb walked around the counter and pulled Haley with her to the back.

"I'm sorry mom, for treating you the way I have been and not being the man you've raised me to be" Lucas shot out of his chair and pulled Karen in to a tight hug, tears hit the brim of his eyes as he kept talking. "I promise that I'll never treat you like that again, I love you so much and I am so sorry" The tears fell from his eyes when he felt Karen wrap her arms around him. "I was wondering if maybe you could get off work and we could go home and I could talk to you about everything."

"Sure Lucas" Karen pulled back and Lucas saw tears in her eyes as well.

-  
"Hey P. Sawyer" Peyton turned around and smiled at Brooke, Karen, Deb and her had just got finished sighing the lease for the building and Peyton decided to stay back for a bit.

"Hey B. Davis" Brooke smiled at her as she walked closer to Peyton.

"So, I saw the 'For lease' sign gone, tell me it's because you got it" Brooke gave her a knowing smile.

"It's defiantly because I got it" Brooke let out a squeal and Peyton knew what was coming, she opened her arms and Brooke ran into them.

"I can't believe you're going to open a club Peyton" Brooke hugged her tighter and smiled.

"A lot of it has to do with you" Peyton pulled back from the hug, but kept her arms around Brooke, and looked at Brooke seriously. "You found this building and talked to Karen about the whole sponsor thing, without you this wouldn't have been completely possible…Thank you" While Peyton was talking she looked into Brooke's eyes.

"I'd do anything for you P. Sawyer"

Brooke tore her eyes away from Peyton's eyes for a second and let them travel down to her lips, Brooke looked back up at her eyes and started to lean in. When Brooke saw that Peyton didn't move, she placed a soft kiss on her lips and pulled back quickly; not giving Peyton a chance to kiss back out of fear that she wouldn't. They looked back into each other's eyes and after a second Peyton leaned in and captured Brooke's lips in a passionate kiss, Peyton darted her tongue out and licked Brooke's bottom lip; Brooke excepted it right away. When their tongue's met Peyton tightened her arms around Brooke, as the kiss got heated Peyton backed Brooke into a wall and started to move her hands up and down Brooke's sides. Just as Brooke let out a moan, Peyton's phone rang with Rachel's ring tone and Peyton broke the kiss right away. Peyton quickly moved away from Brooke and picked up the phone.

"Hey baby" Peyton looked up at Brooke and saw the hurt on her face and in her eyes, right away she had to look away from Brooke.

"Hey babe, how did the lease thing go?"

"It went great, we got the place" Peyton ran her free hand over her face, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"That's awesome, do you want to meet up and celebrate?"

"Yeah, meet me at Karen's Café?" Peyton ran her free hand through her hair; she could never keep still when she was anxious.

"Alright, love you"

"Love you too" Peyton hung up the phone and turned back to Brooke.

"Peyton-" Peyton cut her off, knowing what she was going to say.

"We were in the moment and it was a mistake" The hurt look it Brooke's eyes worsened.

"A mistake, how can you say that?" Brooke walked closer to Peyton, but Peyton took a step back.

"Because I can, I'm in love with Rachel and this was wrong. I'm sorry Brooke, I gotta go" Peyton started to head to the door.

"No, no" Brooke ran in front of Peyton.

"Let me through Brooke" Peyton turned her eyes away from Brooke.

"Not until we talk about this, I thought this" Brooked indicated between them with her fingers. "Was what you wanted"

"It's what I wanted before I got together with Rachel, Brooke I am happy and I love her and I want to be with her" Peyton saw Brooke's eyes well up with tears and she felt her own do the same. "I gotta go Brooke"

"Tell me that it didn't mean anything to you and I'll let you go" Brooke said while she kept herself between the door and Peyton.

"Brooke…" Peyton's eyes and voice pleaded. "Please don't do this"

"It meant something to you, didn't it?" Brooke's voice laced with emotion and unshed tears.

"No" Peyton kept her eyes down.

"Peyton, look me in the eye and tell me" Brooke walked up to Peyton and lifted her chin.

"It didn't mean anything to me" Peyton looked Brooke dead in the eyes.

Peyton walked past Brooke and headed for the door, but Brooke grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Peyton, I-"

"Don't" Peyton pulled her wrist back. "Don't

With one last glace over her shoulder at Brooke, Peyton walked out the door. Once Peyton was gone, Brooke walked over to the door and slid down it; sobs racked her body as she broke down. On the other side of the door, Peyton leaned her head back against the door and let her own tears shed; she let her fingers touch her lips for a second before she walked away. All the while thinking:

_This is for the better, this is for the better. _


	14. Just stop me

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, just wanted to say thank you for the great reviews and keep them coming because they are just what I need to keep writing. This chap was fun to write and I hope you like it too, cause if you don't like it...Well then it's worth nothing lol. Love forever and always. **

**4 months later **

Brooke had spent the four months focused on building Tric and keeping her distance from Peyton, which was hard because of her interaction with Tric. Brooke tried everything she could to make sure she didn't have to see Peyton and if she did she was never alone. Brooke spent the first month trying to act like it didn't happen but when she once again walked in on Rachel and Peyton; she knew she had to stay away.

Peyton had also spent the better part of four months avoiding Brooke as best she could, if she was forced to see Brooke she would spend as little time as possible. For the first month after the kiss she had acted very different in front of Rachel, when confronted by Rachel; Peyton put it on the fact that her mind was focused on Tric and Rachel bought it. Since then Peyton started to make sure to _act_ normal in front of Rachel.

Lucas had spent the four months to apologize to everyone, he explained to everyone why he did what he did and how sorry he was for doing it. No one had fully forgiven him, but after a lot of convincing from Haley, they let him back into the group. However, Nathan had made it very clear to him that Lucas was not their friend yet and that he had to earn it, Lucas agreed.

Nathan and Haley kept going between Brooke and Peyton for the four months after Brooke told them what happened. They went away for a trip when Brooke forced them to get away for a weekend, she told them that they needed a brake because they had done enough for everyone else and it was time that they get away.

Tonight was the opening night at Tric; everyone was just making sure everything was in place. They had 2 hours before the doors to Tric finally opened. Karen and Deb had hired a few builders and Brooke got everyone in the group to help as well. They are all beyond excited for today. The school had finally calmed down about the whole Peyton, Rachel and Brooke situation and things started to get back to normal at Tree Hill High.

"Alright guys, come here for a second" Brooke put the box she was holding on a table and waited for everyone to gather. "So I got some t-shirts made for tonight, since it's an opening people might need help and if they see you with this t-shirt they know to come to you" Brooke dug into the box and pulled out a t-shirt.

The t-shirt is black, on the front it has Tric written in a pink color with a lightning bolt replacing the 'I', at the bottom right side of the shirt is said 'Karen's Café' in the same pink.

"That looks great Brooke and even a plug for the Café" Karen pointed to the bottom of the shirt, causing everyone to laugh.

"Yeah, well the sponsor has to get a shout out" Brooke said with a smile. "Now the back of the shirt is the cool part, this one is yours Nate" Brooke turned the shirt around.

On the back of the shirt it said 'Nathan Scott" in blue and black, in black and white it had a shadow of a basketball player going through the letters of his name.

"These look incredible" Nathan said as he reached for the shirt.

Each of them grabbed a t-shirt and each had something that related to them. Like Nathan; Lucas, Junk, Fergie and Skills had a basketball player on the back of their shirt. Peyton and Haley had a music note, Mouth had a microphone, Rachel and Brooke had a dancer/cheerleader, Karen and Deb had a coffee cup and Keith had a car.

Once everyone had their shirt on, Peyton declared what everyone would be helping with that night.

"Junk and Keith, I want you guys outside greeting people and Keith I want you to check the ID's. Mouth, you're my DJ for the night" Peyton picked up a crate from the ground filled with records and passed it to Mouth. "Fergie, I need you to tend to the band, make sure that they have everything that they need; their local so they should be too bitchy. Lucas, Nathan and Skills, you guys are going to be our back up bouncers, meaning we hired a few but if you see something they don't I need you guys to take care of it. We girls will just work the floor, if anyone needs anything we'll help them best we can" Everyone gave her a nod and started to break apart.

"Hey, are you okay?" Rachel stepped closer to Peyton and wrapped her arms around her waist.

"Yeah, just a little nervous I guess" Peyton let out a nervous laugh as she also wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist.

"Don't be, it's going to be…You're going to be great" Rachel leaned in and put her forehead against Peyton's.

"Thanks, not just for today but for everything" They both smiled.

Peyton turned her head slightly and kissed Rachel softly, Rachel returned it with equal softness. When Peyton pulled away from the kiss, she embraced Rachel; as she did, her eyes caught Brooke's. Brooke was quick to break the contact, but Peyton was certain she saw tears in her eyes; her thought were confirmed when Brooke made her way to the bathroom.

Once Brooke got to the bathroom she let out a sob that felt like it would break her chest, the whole situation was killing her. Brooke knew that she did have anyone except for herself to blame, she always went after what she couldn't have. Peyton was taken, she should have known better than to kiss her. It hurt more than anything to hear Peyton tell Rachel that she loved her after they kissed, but the pain she felt when Peyton told her that their kiss was a mistake was indescribable. 4 months, Brooke has carried this pain and hurt with her and not a single day did it get easier.

Brooke quickly whipped her eyes when she heard someone open the door; she relaxed a bit when she saw Haley.

"Are you okay?" Haley crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

"I've been better, but I'll be fine" Haley nodded as she walked into one of the stalls and grabbed a tissue paper.

"You don't always have to be strong Brooke" Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh as she grabbed the tissue.

"Yes I do, it's how I get through each day" Brooke dried her tears and tossed the tissue away. "Its how I'm going to get through tonight Tutor Girl"

"We're all here for you Brooke" Haley placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know" Brooke pulled Haley into a hug. "Let's go"

-  
Tric was packed on opening night, everyone was having a great time and there didn't seem to be any problems.

"Keep rocking it Mouth" Peyton said as she walked past him, Mouth smiled and lifted a thumb.

Peyton was making her way through the dance floor when someone grabbed her by her hips and pulled her into them, Peyton was about to snap on the person when she heard the voice that made her relax right away.

"Everything's going great right?" Rachel whispered in her ear, Peyton nodded. "Then you have time for a dance"

"I wish I could baby, but I have to go introduce the band" Peyton turned in Rachel's arms and wrapped her own arms around her neck. "But, I promise we will dance tonight" Peyton leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Rachel's lips before walking away.

As Peyton was making her way to the stage, her eyes caught Megan walking with her drink up to Brooke, who had her back turned. Peyton could see where this was going from a mile away; she quickly made her way over to Megan. Just as Megan raised her cup, Peyton grabbed her hand and moved in front of Brooke.

"Back off bitch or I swear that I'll kick you out of my club" Peyton let go of Megan's wrist and crossed her arms, Brooke turned when she head Peyton's voice and glared at Megan.

"Attacking me with my back turned? Can't step up and do it face to face?" Brooke moved in front of Peyton.

"Oh I'll do it face to face" Megan stepped closer to Brooke.

"No, you'll back up…NOW" Peyton stepped beside Brooke.

"You guys can't do anything on your own can you? She fight's your battles and you fight hers…How pathetic" Megan shook her head at the two of them before she turned; suddenly she turned around and tossed the drink at them. Peyton pushed Brooke as she moved out of the way and the drink hit the person standing behind them.

"What the hell?" The person yelled, Brooke and Peyton turned to see Deb with her shirt drenched. Deb turned and her eyes landed on Megan. "Alright, I think you need to leave" Deb walked up to Megan and pulled her to the exit.

"Thanks for the save" Brooke said as she kept her eyes on Megan and Deb.

"What did she mean by that?" Peyton turned to Brooke and raised her eyebrow.

"What?" Brooke turned her eyes back to Peyton.

"About you fighting my battles, when did you fight for me?" Brooke gave her a shrug.

"I don't know what she's talking about" Brooke walked away; Peyton was about to follow her but Karen pulled her back.

"Peyton, the band is ready for you" Peyton nodded and headed to the stage.

"Hey everybody, welcome to the opening of Tric, we're super happy to have you here and hope that you're having a great time. We hope to be here for a while and with bands like the ones we have tonight, we think we will be. So, please help me welcome Tree Hill's own Force Hunters" The crowd broke out in applause as the band walked out, Peyton smiled at them as she walked off.

Peyton stood backstage and watched the band play; she smiled when Haley walked up to her.

"These guys are great!" Haley yelled over the music.

"Yeah they are I know how to pick them huh?" Peyton let out a laugh.

"So, I saw Megan and Brooke in each other's face again. Did she say something about you again?" Haley asked with a slight laugh, not realizing what she had just said.

"What?" Peyton looked at Haley sharply and then Haley realized what she said.

"What?" Haley tried to cover.

"Haley" Haley sighed before pulling Peyton somewhere quieter.

"That day that Brooke got into a fight with Megan, it was over you. Megan had said something about you and Brooke didn't like what she heard, so she defended you" Peyton had an unreadable look on her face as she looked out to the crowd, her eyes found Brooke and she let her eyes linger.

"Do you think I made a mistake Hales?" Haley raised an eyebrow. "I finally got what I wanted with Brooke and I still chose Rachel"

"I don't know Peyton, it all depends on you. Are you happy?" Haley followed Peyton's line of vision.

"Yeah, but what does it say if for the last 4 months I can't get one kiss out of my head" Peyton turned her eyes back to Haley.

"Look in here" Haley placed her hand over Peyton's heart. "And figure out what it means because you're the only one who can" Haley gave her a smile before walking away.

Peyton watched her leave before turning her eyes back to Brooke, after a second she went back to where she was before.

-  
The night was coming to an end, the band had just started to play a slow song and Peyton was about to live up to her promise to Rachel. Peyton started to make her way through the dance floor again, where she found Rachel and Mouth. Peyton stepped up to Rachel and wrapped her arms around her from the back.

"Care to dance Ms. Gatina?" Peyton whispered in her ear and smiled when she felt Rachel shiver.

"Yes I would Ms. Sawyer" Rachel placed her hands on top of Peyton's arms.

"Hey Mouth" Peyton said as Rachel turned in her arms.

"Hey, I'll leave you two alone" Mouth smiled at Peyton before walking away.

As soon as they were face to face, Rachel leaned in and kissed Peyton; a kiss filled with love. When they pulled back, they wrapped their arms around each other and started to sway to the music. Peyton's eyes once again caught Brooke's and this time neither one broke the contact.

Brooke stared at Peyton and she stared right back, neither sure which one was ever going to break the contact. Brooke was forced to break the contact, when Nathan entered her line of vision.

"Let's dance Brooke" Nathan stretched his hand out to her; Brooke glanced at it before looking back up at Nathan.

"Dance with Tutor Girl" Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Haley's talking to Lucas, why can't you dance with me?" Brooke looked away for a second and laughed.

"Fine" Brooke let out a fake sigh and took a hold of his hand.

Nathan guided her to the center of the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her waist and hers went around his neck, Nathan kept his distance but that quickly ended when Brooke pulled him close.

"I'm sorry you're hurting Brooke" Nathan whispered in her ear.

"It's okay, I just expected a little more and then it hurt a lot more than I thought it would when she shot me down" She felt Nathan tighten his hold.

"It's going to get better…I promise" Brooke smiled at the sincerity in his voice.

"I'll hold you to that Scott" She felt Nathan laugh.

-  
"What a great night" Lucas said as he finished sweeping.

"It really was" Haley agreed as she made her way to the group.

"Thanks to all of you guys" Peyton leaned on a table and smiled at everyone.

"Well, I'm about ready to pass out" Rachel walked behind Peyton and wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face into Peyton's neck.

"Yeah, let's get out o here" Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulder.

"Hold on, before you leave I just want to thank you guys so much for everything you did for tonight, I am very thankful" Everyone smiled at Peyton and she looked away with a blush.

"Anytime Peyton, anytime" Haley snuggled closer to Nathan.

"Good, because I'm going to need all of you next week too" Everyone let out a groan.

"Thanks Haley" Brooke whined.

"I didn't think she'd take it literally" Haley tiredly put her head on Nathan's shoulder.

"Shut up, don't be asses" Everyone let out a laugh. "Come on, let's go home"

The group started to say their goodnight's as they headed for the exit, Peyton turned to grab her jacket when she saw Brooke heading to the office.

"Hey, I have to talk to Brooke about something but I'll catch up with you later okay?" Rachel raised an eye brow at Peyton.

"Are you sure you want to do it alone?" Peyton rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yes" Peyton kissed Rachel and then spoke against her lips. "I love you"

"I love you too" Rachel said against her lips as well, before kissing her again. "I'll see you later"

Rachel turned and walked out of the club and Peyton quickly made her way to the office. When Brooke heard the office door open, she glanced over her shoulder and looked at Peyton.

"Hey" Brooke turned back to what she was doing.

"What are you doing in the office?" The question came out harsher than Peyton intended.

"Relax, I'm just grabbing my stuff" Brooke put her jacket on and picked up her bag, she started to make her way to the exit.

"Is it true that you got into a fight with Megan over me" When Brooke stiffened, Peyton knew it was true. "I guess it is"

"Who told you?" Brooke kept her back to Peyton.

"Haley" Peyton stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"And now I know not to tell her anything" Brooke readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Peyton's voice laced with emotion.

"Because I don't need to tell you everything" Brooke was trying her best to control the emotion in her own voice.

"I thought we were best friends" Peyton knew that hit a nerve in Brooke somewhere.

"Yeah, that was before we kissed" Brooke continued to make her way to the exit.

"Are we ever going to talk about it Brooke?" Peyton asked before Brooke could walk out the door.

"Why?" Brooke turned around sharply and anger in her eyes, knowing Peyton was referring to the kiss and not the fight. "You didn't want to talk about it four months ago, why talk about it now?"

"Because for the last four moths it's all I've thought about, I can't get it out of my head" Brooke looked at her in slight shock.

"You think I can?" Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh. "Because trust me when I tell you Peyton, it's been on my mind non-stop too. Thing is, the kiss meant the world to me and that's why it's on my mind. Why is it on yours?"

"I don't know why, I've been trying to figure out why for the last four months" Peyton turned her back to Brooke and ran her hands over her face.

"Because deep down you still-"Peyton sharply turned around and cut Brooke off.

"No, I don't" Brooke shook her head and rolled her eyes. "What?"

"Why did you kiss me back? Why didn't you stop me, if you don't feel the same way anymore?" Peyton opened her mouth and closed it, not sure how to answer and Brooke gave her a smirk.

Once again Brooke turned to leave, but Peyton's voice stopped her once more.

"It was the emotion of the moment" Brook turned back to Peyton and threw her bag down on the couch beside the door.

"You can keep using that card Peyton, but eventually YOU'RE going to stop believing it. It had nothing to do with being in the moment, if you really are in love with Rachel as much as you say you are then you would have stopped me and you didn't even try. You want to know why you haven't been able to get our kiss out of your head." Brooke stepped closer to Peyton. "Because you refuse to admit to yourself that you're still in love with me" Peyton started to shake her head.

"No I'm not, I'm over you, and I'm happy" Peyton brushed past Brooke and headed for the door.

"I'm in love with you Peyton" Peyton slowly turned and looked at Brooke; know it and hearing it are two different things. When Peyton heard Brooke say those words, she didn't know what happened but suddenly she was rooted to the ground. Her mind was telling her to leave and run to Rachel, but her heart was telling her to run into Brooke's arms and never leave.

-  
Rachel was driving to her house, as she was driving she reached for her cell and couldn't find it. Then it hit her, she had left the damn thing at Tric.

"Damn it" Rachel turned the car around and headed back to Tric.

-  
"Brooke…" Peyton trailed off not sure what to say.

"I'm so in love with you Peyton and God knows I wish I wasn't because it kills me to see you with Rachel" Tears finally made their way to Brooke's eyes and she didn't stop them from falling.

"Brooke…" Peyton finally found her feet and made her way over to Brooke. "Please don't cry" Peyton brushed Brooke's tears away with her thumb.

Brooke took Peyton's hand into her own and interlocked their fingers, as they stared into each other's eyes. Peyton put their forehead's together and Brooke ran her fingers over Peyton's cheeks; whipping all the tears that were falling from Peyton's eyes. Peyton didn't realize that they were falling.

"Peyton" Brooke whispered, Peyton got lost in Brooke's eyes as her arms wrapped around Brooke's waist.

-  
Rachel parked her car and frowned when she saw Peyton and Brooke's car still there, wondering what they were talking about. Rachel made her way into the club and looked up at where the office was before directing her eyes around the club. Finally her eyes landed on her cell sitting on a table in the back of Tric, Rachel quickly walked over to it and picked it up. Rachel started to walk to the exit, but she stopped and looked back up at the office. Something inside of her told her to go up there and make sure Peyton was okay and so she made her way up the stairs.

-  
"Stop me if this isn't what you want, stop me if this doesn't feel right…Just stop me" Brooke ran her hand through Peyton's hair and then started to lean in, their lips just a breath away.

-  
Rachel reached the office; she placed her hand on the door knob and turned…


	15. Sketches of what the heart wants

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews I love that you guys like this story, these reviews really do keep me going so please keep them coming. This chap might get a little emotional, let me know what you think because I really want to know what you guys think of this chap. Love, forever an always. **

Rachel reached the office; she placed her hand on the door knob and turned, when she walked in she saw Peyton standing on one end of the room and Brooke on the other end. Both have clearly been crying and seeing the tears in Peyton's eyes worried Rachel right away.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Rachel threw a glare at Brooke before stepping closer to Peyton.

"Uh nothing, what are you doing here?" Peyton whipped her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Rachel, trying her best to keep her eyes away from Brooke.

"I left my cell here and when I saw your car still here I wanted to make sure that you were okay" Peyton gave her a small smile and nodded.

"Give me a second, I'll meet you down soon" Rachel reluctantly nodded and started to make her way to the door, but turned back at the last second.

"Are you sure?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, don't worry" Peyton gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright" Rachel glared at Brooke once more before walking out the door.

Once Rachel was out of the room, Peyton's eyes met Brooke's.

"I can't do this to her" Peyton whispered and had to look away from Brooke's eyes when hurt filled them.

"Peyton, you can't tell me that this doesn't feel right" Brooke pleaded.

"You told me to stop you if it didn't feel right, I stopped you" Peyton ran her hand through her hair before she started to explain why. "I can't leave her because you finally want me Brooke; she wasn't my back up for you….Not anymore at least, I fell in love with her and I was wrong to kiss you back and even more wrong when I didn't stop you before. I'm sorry Brooke….I gotta go" Peyton quickly left the room, not giving Brooke a chance to say anything more.

The second Peyton left the room; Brooke moved to the couch and sat down. She placed her head into her hands and after a moment, the sobs started to break through her body.

-  
When Peyton reached Rachel, she pulled her into a tight hug and put all her energy into not crying.

"Are you okay?" Rachel ran her hand, soothingly, through Peyton's hair.

"Yeah" Peyton pulled back, but kept her arms around Rachel. "Can you come over tonight?"

"Of course, I'll follow you in my car" Rachel pointed over her shoulder.

"Okay" Peyton nodded as she got into her car, she was happy for the little time she would get to think over everything that had just happened.

-  
Karen sat up in her bed when she heard knocking at the door, looking over at her alarm clock she wondered who would be here this late. The knocking continued, so she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and made her way to the door. She was wide awake after she opened the door and saw a very distraught Brooke standing there.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Concern laced her voice.

"I'm sorry that I woke you, I know it's late and after tonight I know all you want to do is sleep but my parents are fighting and I had a really rough night and I don't have anywhere else to go" Brooke had to take a deep breath before finishing the rest of her sentence, but never got the chance. Karen pulled her into the house and into a hug.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain" Karen ran her hands up and down Brooke's arms. "Are you okay with the couch?" Karen asked with a slight laugh.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it" Brooke let out a small laugh.

"Alright" Karen pulled back and guided Brooke to the couch. "I'll grab you some pillows and a blanket" Karen turned and started to walk away.

"Karen" She turned back to Brooke. "Thank you" Karen smiled and gave her a small nod.

-  
When Peyton and Rachel had reached Peyton's house they decided to go to sleep right away, Rachel fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed. However, Peyton couldn't sleep, not a wink. So, she decided to sketch instead, right now she is sitting on her window sill using the moon as her only source of light to sketch.

The sketch had taken Peyton a while to do, an hour maybe two, when she was finally done she got up and put the sketch book back. Peyton was still not tired, so she went back to the sill and sat down and looked out her window. She heard movement coming from the bed; Peyton turned her head and saw Rachel reach over to her side of the bed; obviously reaching for Peyton. When Rachel only found more space beside her, she opened her eyes and saw Peyton smiling at her.

"Hey" Peyton moved so she could talk to Rachel more comfortably.

"Hey" Rachel sat up a little bit more. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep" Peyton said with a shrug.

"What's on your mind?" Rachel raised an eyebrow, but Peyton just turned her eyes away. "Baby, what happened with Brooke?"

"I don't feel like talking about that" Rachel was about to press, but Peyton spoke before she had the chance. "Can you just hold me?" Hearing the vulnerability in her voice and the emotion behind it ,was all Rachel needed to not press.

"Yeah, come here babe" Rachel opened her arms and Peyton walked over to her, once Peyton was in her arms Rachel placed a kiss on the crown of her head. "I love you Peyton"

"I love you too baby" Peyton snuggled closer to Rachel.

-  
It was Monday and the group, with the exception of Brooke, was standing at Peyton's locker chatting, just waiting for the bell to ring.

"So, we're all still on for Friday right?" Peyton asked as she closed her locker.

"Yes" The rest of them answered with a groan, Peyton let out a laugh.

"Peyton, could you send me the music that you want the day before or something? I just like to know what the music is before I play it" Mouth asked while adjusting his bag.

"Sure, I'll look through my records today and then give you the records I find. Tell you what, I'll get it to you tonight" Mouth nodded.

Nathan just happened to glance to the left of the hallway and he caught Brooke walking in, he was about to wave at her when he saw her look at Peyton before walking away. Nathan watched her leave with a confused expression.

"I'll catch up with you guys later okay?" Haley raised an eyebrow at Nathan and he reassured her with a smile before following the same steps as Brooke.

-  
When Nathan stepped out of the school he started searching for Brooke, he finally found her sitting on a bench. Nathan quickly made his way over to her.

"Hey" Brooke looked up at him and smiled. "Are you okay?" Nathan sat down beside her.

"Yeah" Brooke looked away from him.

"You don't have to talk about it, but don't lie to me" Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder, Brooke looked at him nodded. When Brooke looked at him, he finally got to look in her eyes and there was nothing but pain in them. "So, how are you really doing?"

"Not too good" Brooke answered with a crack in her voice. "But as much as I want to talk about it, I just can't right now"

"That's okay." Nathan wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "I'm here when you're ready"

"Thanks Nate" Brooke put her head on Nathan's shoulder; silence took over them before Nathan broke it.

"I emancipated myself from my parents over the weekend" Nathan said as the bell rang.

"No way" Brooke lifted her head and looked at Nathan in shock.

"Yeah, I just can't take living with Dan anymore" Nathan got up. "Thing is, I need to find an apartment and I haven't even started yet" Nathan started to head for the school, but Brooke pulled him back.

"Then let's go find one now" Brooke's voice filled with excitement.

"You want to skip the day?" Nathan walked back over to her.

"Well, before you came out here I was going to leave anyway" Brooke shrugged.

"Alright, then let's go" Nathan grabbed Brooke's hand and pulled her toward his car.

"Wait, is Haley going to be okay with you skipping the day?" Nathan pulled out his keys as he nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry about it" Nathan opened the passenger side for Brooke. "Get in"

"Thank you" Brooke smiled at him as she got into the car.

-  
Peyton was worried because she hadn't seen Brooke all day, it wasn't a shock that Brooke skipped school and that wasn't what worried her. What worried her was that she is skipping after what happened between them on Friday, Peyton knew what Brooke was like when she was upset and she just hoped that she was okay.

As Peyton was walking through the hallway she happened to see Lucas standing at a vending machine, she decided to take a chance and ask him if he had seen Brooke.

"Hey Lucas" Peyton stepped up to him awkwardly; despite him apologizing she still wasn't completely ready to forgive him.

"Hey Peyton" Lucas bent down and grabbed his pop from the vending machine.

"Have you seen Brooke?" Peyton stuffed her hand into her pocket and waited for him to answer.

"No, I haven't seen her since Saturday" Lucas opened up his pop and took sip.

"You saw her Saturday?" Peyton frowned.

"Yeah, I woke up Saturday morning and she was on the couch, she said her parents were fighting and she couldn't stay there" Lucas put one hand into his pocket and leaned against the machine.

"Was she okay?" Lucas shook her head.

"Not really, she seemed really upset but she didn't want to talk" Peyton's heart clenched at that, but she tried not to show it, she looked over her shoulder when Lucas waved at some hoping that it was Brooke; instead it was Haley.

"But you haven't seen Brooke around today right?" Peyton asked and then smiled at Haley when she was beside them, Lucas shook his head.

"Well you guys wouldn't" They both threw Haley a confused look. "Nathan and her are out, their skipping the day"

"Oh, okay" Peyton turned to walk away, but turned back for a second. "She's okay right?"

"I don't know, but if they're skipping the whole day…I know Nathan's fine, so I doubt she is" Peyton nodded and quickly walked away, not wanting to answer any of Haley's question's especially in front of Lucas.

-  
"There's one for sale on this street" Brooke read off the newspaper in her hand.

"Yeah I see it, let's go check it out" Nathan turned the car into the parking lot.

"It looks nice from the outside" Brooke said once they got out of the car.

"It's the inside that matters Brooke" Nathan said with a laugh.

"I know, I'm just saying" They both chuckled.

They made their way to the building office and asked to see the apartment, once they got in Brooke and Nathan both thought it was great.

"Nathan, this place it perfect for you….Oh my God Nathan, buy it, buy it now" Nathan laughed at her reaction.

"I think it's great too, but I want to talk it over with Haley first" Nathan started to walk around the room.

"Why? You're the one that's moving in not her" Nathan shrugged his shoulders.

"I know, but I want to move in with her one day and I want her to like this place too" Hearing that brought a smile to Brooke's face, Brooke loved the person Nathan has become.

"That's really sweet" Nathan gave her a smile.

"So, do you think you can hold this place till about 3 or 4? I should be here at 3 again" Nathan turned back to the super and raised an eyebrow.

"Sure man, but I can't hold it past 4" Nathan nodded and shook his hand.

-  
Rachel was walking down the hallway on her way to Peyton's locker, when she got there she wrapped her arms around Peyton from the back.

"Want me to walk you to class?" Rachel asked as she placed a small kiss on Peyton's cheek.

"I would love for you to walk me to class" Peyton put picked up a book from her locker and put in her bag. "Do you want to come over tonight? I bought this new movie and thought we could watch it together"

"Is that all we're going to do if I come over?" Rachel gave her a seductive smirk.

"Oh no, we'll be doing a lot more" Peyton leaned in and kissed Rachel, after a moment Rachel pulled back.

"Alright, let's get to class" Peyton nodded and closed her locker.

-  
"Wow, you guys came that close to kissing again?" Nathan leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow.

Right now, the two of them are sitting at an outside café drinking coffee and Brooke was finally talking about what happened between her and Peyton.

"Yeah, that close and then she pulled away before it happened and backed up as far away as she could in that room" Brooke shrugged her shoulders before continuing. "Then Rachel walked in" Brooke chuckled at the shocked expression on Nathan's face. "Yeah, she told me that it wasn't right and that she couldn't leave Rachel just because I suddenly want her"

"You can't really blame her; I mean Rachel loves and has for a while. Rachel was there for Peyton when Peyton really needed someone" Brooke lowered her head at that. "Not to down you Brooke, but it's the truth and I'm sorry to have to say it, but they're in love"

"I know, I guess I just really wanted something else to happen" Brooke looked up at him and gave him a smile filled with sadness.

"I know" Nathan wrapped his arm her and pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks for today Nathan" Brooke pulled away from the hug and smiled at him. "It was really fun"

"Anytime" Nathan looked up and smiled.

"What?" Brooke tried to follow his line of vision.

"They just put out a fresh batch of cookies, I'm going to go get some" Brooke laughed as he got up and almost ran to the counter.

-  
It was later in the night when Peyton and Rachel were sitting on Peyton's couch watching the movie Peyton had bought.

"Peyton, this movie sucks; can we just go have sex?" Peyton looked at Rachel in shock.

"Rachel!" Rachel just gave her a shrug.

"Are you really enjoying this?" Rachel gestured to the TV.

"Yes, I am" Peyton leaned in and kissed Rachel softly. "You want to do something?"

"Yes, let's go do something on your bed" Rachel said with a wink.

"Go make popcorn" Peyton said with a laugh.

"Fine" Rachel kissed her once again before going to the kitchen.

Peyton laughed as Rachel walked off, she turned her attention back to the TV for a second only to have it taken away again because her cell rang. Peyton looked down at the ID and smiled at Mouth's name.

"Hey Mouth" Peyton smiled as she picked up the phone.

"Hey Peyton, I was wondering if you had those records picked?"

"Oh, yeah I do; hold on" Peyton moved the phone away from her mouth. "Babe" Rachel poked her head out of the kitchen and looked at Peyton. "Can you go get those records we picked?"

"Sure, where are they again?" Rachel asked as she started to walk to the stairs.

"Top shelf" Rachel nodded and moved up the stairs.

Once Rachel got to Peyton's room, she made her way to where Peyton kept all her albums. Once she got there, she saw the records that they had picked and pulled all five of them off the shelf and as she did that, a black covered book fell from the top and opened with the cover up. Rachel put the records down and picked the book up, Rachel turned the book around to close it and what she saw on the other side ripped her heart apart. She quickly looked up and saw the one that Peyton had showed her and then quickly went through the rest of the book, now her heart felt it went through a shredder. Tears welled up in her eyes right away.

Back downstairs Peyton was making conversation with Mouth while waiting for Rachel.

"You know what Mouth; I think she's having trouble finding it so I'm going to go help her. I'll call you later" Mouth agreed and they both hung up.

Peyton started to make her way to her room.

"Baby, what's taking you so long" Peyton said with a smile before she entered the room, the smile dropped when she saw Rachel in tears sitting on her bed. "What's wrong?"

"What is this?" Rachel lifted the book, that's open, and pointed at it. Rachel didn't give Peyton a chance to answer. "I'll tell you what it is, it's a sketch book dedicated to Brooke" Rachel shot up from the bed and threw the book on to the bed.

"Rachel, I know how bad this looks" Peyton tried to explain.

"I don't think you do, it's a whole book filled with sketches of you and Brooke!" Rachel had to put a hand to her mouth to control the sob that was screaming to break out. "How do you think that makes me feel?"

"It shouldn't make you feel like anything, because they don't mean anything okay?" Peyton moved closer to Rachel and reached out to touch her, but Rachel moved away from her.

"Really?" Peyton nodded, Rachel opened the book and flipped a few pages before showing her one of them and quoting it. "'You and I were supposed to equal forever' That doesn't mean anything?"

"It was before we got together Rachel" Peyton eyes started to fill up with tears.

"Fine" Rachel flipped through a few more pages before holding up another one. "Was this before we got together, when you kissed her?" Rachel's bottom lip started to quiver and her guard was starting to break, Peyton started to break down. "You cheated on me Peyton" Rachel threw the book down once more.

"It was a mistake, we were in the moment and it just happened" Peyton didn't even try to stop the tears that were falling.

"Things like that don't just happen, not when you don't want them to. You've always wanted this to happen and you know it" Rachel couldn't stop the sobs that started to break through.

"I never wanted that to happen" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Stop lying to yourself Peyton" Peyton let out a frustrated groan.

"If I wanted it to happen, why the hell would I still be with you?" This whole situation was killing Peyton; this isn't how she wanted Rachel to find out about anything.

"You're just waiting for Brooke to tell you that she loves you" Rachel hissed the words.

"Brooke has told me that she loves me!" Rachel had her back turned, so Peyton didn't have see the look of realization cross her face. "She told me she loves me and I'm still with you, what does that say?"

"That I'm safe" Rachel turned back to Peyton.

"What?" Rachel just went back to the sketch book and once again quoted.

"'My mind wants one but my heart wants the other' Who does your heart want?" Peyton looked down, Rachel let out a sigh. "Your mind wants me because it's safe, you know what you get with me. Your heart wants Brooke but you're scared, because she wants you when you taken…Or rather when you were taken" Peyton felt like she had just been hit by a bus.

"What? No, no Rachel, please" Rachel just shook her head.

"We're done Peyton, I can't do this anymore. My heart….My heart doesn't deserve this" Rachel brushed past Peyton, but Peyton grabbed her arm and pulled her into an embrace.

"Please don't leave me Rachel, you're wrong. I want to be with you, I love you" Peyton speaks into her shoulder.

"You love the idea of me, but you're in love with Brooke and you want to be with her" It took everything in Rachel to not wrap her arms around Peyton.

"How can you tell me what I want?" Peyton's body started to shake with sobs.

"It's not me telling you what you want, it's your heart, you're just refusing to hear it" Rachel started to pull away but Peyton held on tighter. "I gotta go Peyton"

"No, please don't leave" Peyton started to feel Rachel's body shake and then she heard a sob.

"I'm sorry Peyton" Rachel finally pulled away from Peyton and hurried out of the room, making sure to not look at Peyton or she would change her mind.

Peyton watched her leave, as soon as Rachel was out of the room Peyton fell to the ground and broke down in her room. She put her face into her hands and cried her heart out.

Rachel reached her car and fully broke down, unable to hold it together anymore.

-  
Brooke was sitting in her room just watching some TV when her cell rang, she picked it up and answered with a smile.

"Hey Hales" Brooke started to flip channels.

"Hey Brooke, Nathan showed me the apartment that he wants to buy"

"Isn't it great?" Brooke asked with excitement.

"Yeah, I actually think I'm in love with it" Brooke laughed. "Listen I was wondering if you could go by Peyton's and pick up a few records for Mouth, she told him she would get them to him tonight and she hasn't yet. We've both been calling, but she isn't answering"

"Um, sure I'll go by" Brooke turned her TV off and got off the bed.

"Are you sure? Because Nathan told me what happened between you and Peyton"

"No, its fine don't worry about it" Brooke grabbed her jacket.

"I wouldn't ask you if I was able to go there myself and if I wasn't just a little bit worried about her"

"It's fine Haley, I'll grab the stuff and then get it to Mouth" Brooke grabbed her keys and walked out of her room.

"Thanks Brooke, you're the best"

"I know I am Tutor Girl" They both laughed and hung up.

Brooke drove to Peyton's house and the whole way there she was thinking of ways to make this as fast as possible. When she got there she walked into the house and made her way up to Peyton's room, while walking up the stairs she saw that the light in her room was off and she hoped that maybe she wasn't home.

"Peyton, you home?" Brooke asked, just before she walked into the room and when she didn't get an answer she was happy.

However, her happiness went away when she walked into the room and saw Peyton sitting on the window sill with a bottle of vodka in hand and it was half empty.

"Hey, how come you didn't answer me and why aren't you answering your phone?" When Peyton turned her head to Brooke, Brooke knew that something horrible must have happened tonight. "Peyton, what's wrong?"

"Rachel left me" Peyton lifted the bottle to her lips and took a large gulp, grimacing from the burn she felt.

"Oh my God, Peyton I'm sorry" Brooke stepped closer to her.

"Yeah you should be" Peyton took another large gulp; looking at Brooke again she saw a confused look on her face. "It's your fault"

"What?"


	16. A haze of who you are

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. I hope you guys like this chapter, I'm not really sure how I feel about this but if you don't like this one I can PROMISE that the next one will be good :D. Love forever and always. **

"What?" Brooke asked with shock.

"It's your fault that she left me" Peyton turned her head and looked out the window again.

"How the hell is it my fault?" Brooke felt rage start to build up inside her.

"I was over you and I was happy, but you couldn't just let that be could you?" Peyton took another swig of her drink.

"Couldn't let it be? I bit my lip and stood back while you were with Rachel because she made you happy and I all I wanted was for you to be happy" Peyton let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Wanted me to be happy, yet you kiss me when I'm taken" Brooke shook her head.

"I never forced you to kiss me back" Brooke picked up the records that were on Peyton's bed as she did she saw the sketch book and it was opened, opened to the sketch of her and Peyton kissing. "This is how Rachel found out about us?" Brooke looked up and saw Peyton nod. "You didn't even have the nerve to tell her yourself?"

"I didn't see the point, it didn't mean anything to me" Peyton looked at Brooke as she said that and knew that those words had hurt Brooke.

"Whatever Peyton, I'll tell you something though this is not my fault" Peyton let out a huff. "You can believe what you want, but the fact of the matter is that I never told you to sketch me or kiss me back; you did both of those on your own free will" Brooke turned and walked out of the room, making sure to slam the front door.

The words that Brooke left Peyton with built up a range in Peyton, when she heard the slam she stood up and threw the vodka bottle at the opposite wall, smashing the bottle. Peyton sat back down as the tears started to fall again.

-  
The next day at school, Nathan and Haley are looking for Peyton. However, they couldn't find her that was until Haley spotted Rachel, she quickly pulled Nathan over to Rachel.

"Hey Rachel I really need to talk to Peyton, have you seen her?" Haley asked as she leaned on the locker beside Rachel's.

"Nope and I probably won't for the rest of the day" Rachel closed her locker and pulled her bag over her shoulder. "We broke up yesterday" Rachel turned and walked away, leaving a very shocked Nathan and Haley behind her.

As Rachel walked, she saw Brooke standing at her locker, Rachel moved faster and when she got to Brooke's locker she slammed it shut; almost smashing Brooke's fingers.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Brooke glared at her.

"I know what you did with Peyton, you better watch yourself Davis" Rachel started to walk away.

"Why?" Rachel turned back around sharply. "I didn't tell you to ruin the best thing that happened to you and I didn't tell Peyton to kiss me back or to sketch it out for you. Both of you are looking for someone to blame because you're both so damn miserable right now, look in the mirror" Brooke turned and walked away.

-  
It was around lunch when Nathan walked outside and spotted Haley sitting at a lunch table, he started to make his way over to her. When he got to Haley, she was just hanging up her cell.

"Did she pick up?" Nathan asked as he sat down.

"Nope, Nathan I'm worried about her" Nathan nodded.

"Me too, Peyton's not good when it comes to pain" They both looked up when Lucas walked up to them.

"What's up guys?" Lucas asked when he saw the expression on their face.

"Rachel and Peyton broke up" Hearing those words brought the same expression on to Lucas' face.

"Oh God, is Peyton okay?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Do you care?" Lucas and Haley both turned shocked expressions to Nathan.

"Nathan!" Nathan looked at Haley and shrugged.

"I'm just saying, now that she's single he can try and go after her again" Lucas shook his head.

"I care about her okay? I've learned to accept the fact that we are never going to get together, give me some credit" Haley was about to cut in, but Nathan beat her to the punch.

"Why? You haven't earned any" Haley smacked his arm. "Haley it's true"

"You know what man; I'm so tired of you. I worked hard for four months to prove to all of you that I've changed and that I'm sorry for what I did" Lucas felt anger rise within him when Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well you may have fooled everyone else" Nathan stood up and pulled his bag over his shoulder. "But you haven't fooled me" Nathan walked away.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Lucas looked at Haley as he took Nathan's spot.

"He's become really protective of Peyton and Brooke, you can't really blame him I mean you really did screw up with them" Lucas let out a sigh and lowered his head. "I know you've changed Lucas, but you're going to have to give Nathan time"

"I guess you're right" Lucas quickly changed the subject. "So, is Peyton okay?"

"I don't know, she's not answering her phone" Haley said with a sigh.

"Alright, how about after school we go over to her place and check on her" Haley nodded.

-  
Peyton is lying in her bed asleep…Well really she passed out from all the drinking, she lying down face down with a bottle of vodka still in her hand hanging off the bed. The bottle starts to slip from her hands and smashes to the ground, Peyton jerks awake and looks around her room. Her eyes travel down to the ground and she see the smashed bottle, with a sigh she puts her head back down on the pillow.

For what felt like the tenth time that day, her cell started to ring. Peyton lifted it from somewhere under the blanket and saw Nathan's name on the ID, she shook her head and tossed the phone off her bed. Peyton started to get up from the bed, careful to not step on the glass, and made her to the bathroom, when you drink as much as she has it's all going to come back up. Peyton made her way to the bathroom and threw her guts up.

-  
"Hey" Rachel looked up from the bleachers in the gym and smiled at Nathan.

"Hey" Rachel said with small wave.

"What are you doing here?" Nathan walked over to the rack of basketballs and put his bag down.

"It's the only quiet place in the school right now and I just need some time to think" Nathan nodded as he picked up the basketball.

"I'm sorry about you and Peyton" Rachel simply shrugged.

"Me too...Have you heard from her yet?" Nathan shook his head as he took a shot.

"No, she's not answering her phone" Nathan glanced at her and in that glace he managed to catch a look of worry that crossed Rachel's face.

"Oh, okay" Rachel got up and started to head to the door. "I'll see you later Nathan"

"Later Rachel and hey, you're going to be okay" Nathan gave her a smile and turned back to the

Rachel smiled and walked out the door, when she was in the hallway she pulled out her cell and scrolled through the contacts. She stopped on Peyton's name; she stopped before she pressed the call button. After a few minutes Rachel closed her phone and thought it was better to just let it go.

-  
It was the end of the day, Haley and Lucas are driving to Peyton's place and when they get there they hear music blaring from the house.

"Great, even if we knock she's not going to hear us" Haley said as they got out of the car.

"We can try" Lucas walked up to her door and started to bang as hard as he could. "Peyton, Peyton open the door!" Haley called, while Lucas banged. "Peyton, its Lucas and Haley and we're worried!"

"She's not answering the phone either" Haley slammed her phone shut out of frustration.

"Come on Peyton!" Haley looked up, trying to see if maybe Peyton was looking at them through a window, but she wasn't.

On the inside, Peyton could hear the knocking and the yelling, despite the music, when she stumbled her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. She ignored Lucas' pleading as she grabbed a beer and made her way back up the stairs, when she got to her room she picked up her phone and saw she had a miss call. Deep down, she hoped it was Rachel, when she opened up her phone she saw a picture of her and Rachel. Almost right away the tears began to fall, again her phone rang and with a sigh she threw her phone down.

Back outside, Lucas gave up on the knocking but didn't step away from the door.

"Let's just go Lucas; she's not going to come down" Lucas nodded as he stepped back. "At least with the music we know she's alive"

"There has to be a way that we can talk to her" Lucas said as he pulled his belt on.

"Brooke" Lucas gave her a confused look. "We can get Brooke to talk to her" Haley pulled out her cell and called Brooke. "Hey Brooke"

"Hey Hales"

"Can you meet me at the river court in 10?" Haley asked as she checked the time.

"Yeah"

"Thanks Brooke" Haley smiled and hung up.

When they finally got to the river court, Haley smiled at Brooke and Lucas gave her a wave.

"Hey Tutor Girl and Broody what's up?" Brooke asked as she got off the bleachers and walked over to them.

"Did you know about Rachel and Peyton breaking up?" Haley stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Yeah, she told me yesterday. Why?" Brooke didn't want to get into details, not unless the situation called for it at least.

"We just found out today and we don't know if she's okay, she won't answer the phone or open the door…" Haley trailed off and Brooke raised an eye brow.

"At least not for us" Lucas finished.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" Haley and Lucas looked at each other before answering.

"We were thinking that maybe you should go by and see if she's okay" Haley said with a soft voice.

"When she told me they broke up yesterday, she also told me that it's my fault. There is no way that she is going to talk to me if she thinks this is my fault and to be honest I'm not sure I care. It was great seeing you guys, good luck with Peyton" Brooke started to walk back to her car.

"Of course you care, she's your best friend Brooke" Brooke spoke over her shoulder at Haley as she kept walking.

"That was before everything that went down between us" Brooke reached her car and got in, with one last glance at them she took off.

-  
While Brooke was driving home she couldn't get her mind off of Peyton, she couldn't figure out what she really wanted to do. Her stubborn mind was telling her to go home and let Peyton deal with it on her own, she pushed her away. However, Brooke's heart was telling her to go to Peyton's place and make sure she was okay, because no matter what she loved and cared about Peyton and she knew that Peyton was talking with a drunken mind. There had been a billion situations when Brooke was the drunk one and had treated Peyton really bad, but Peyton always took care of her. With a sigh, Brooke turned her car around and headed in the direction of Peyton's house.

Once she got there she shook her head at the blaring music, she stepped up to Peyton's door and lifted up a flower pot; under the pot was a key for the door. Brooke took the key and let herself into the house.

"Peyton!" She called as she walked into the house.

When Brooke got no reply she started to make her way up the stairs and toward Peyton's room, once she was in front of Peyton's room she was hit with a strong smell of alcohol. So strong that she had to cover her nose to block the smell, Brooke walked into the room and turned the music off. When she did she heard heaving noises coming from the bathroom, Brooke walked over to it and saw Peyton with her head over the toilet and throwing up. Brooke let out a sigh and walked over to her, when she reached Peyton she knelled down beside her and lifted some of her hair.

"Easy Peyton, easy" Brooke started to rub her back up and down, when Peyton was finished she leaned back on Brooke. "Come on, let's get you to bed" Brooke helped Peyton up and guided her to her bed, when they got to Peyton bed Brooke helped her lie down. "I'll be right back" Brooke wasn't sure Peyton was taking in anything she was saying.

When Brooke finally came back she had a bowl of water and a rag, she put the bowl down and sat beside Peyton. Brooke dipped the rag into the water and then ran the rag over Peyton forehead.

"Brooke?" Peyton voice was horse.

"Yeah it's me" Brooke kept her eyes on her work and away from Peyton's eyes.

"How did you get in?" Peyton frowned slightly.

"Spare key under your flower pot" Peyton nodded as best she could.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke dipped the rag again before answering.

"Taking care of your drunk ass" Brooke finally let her eyes meet Peyton's and she felt sorry at what she saw in her eyes.

"I miss her Brooke" Brooke looked around the room before looking back at Peyton.

"Yeah, I can tell" Brooke stopped what she was doing when Peyton let out a sob.

"What am I going to do Brooke, how am I going to get through this?" Peyton's body started to shake with sobs.

"You just are, you're going to be fine Peyton. You are one of the strongest people I know, you're just hurting right now" Peyton moved and curled up next to Brooke. "Get some sleep"

"Thank you Brooke" Peyton whispered as she drifted to sleep.

Brooke got up and looked around Peyton's room, after a moment she decided to clean this place up. Brooke started with Peyton's room; she picked up all the glass and bottles in her room. Once she was done with the room, Brooke went into the main bathroom in the house and grabbed an air freshener that she plugged into Peyton's room. Brooke went into the kitchen and looked for any alcohol that would be in the kitchen, whatever bottles Brooke could find she emptied out in the kitchen sink.

Once Brooke was done with cleaning out the house she called Haley and told her that Peyton was going to be okay and that she was going to stay the night just in case. When she was done with the call, Brooke spent the next few hours on Peyton's computer. When Brooke was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open, she deiced to sleep in the computer chair for the night.

When Peyton woke up she put her hand on her head in a way to ease the killer headache that she had, Peyton slowly opened her eyes and saw that it was day outside; meaning she slept through the whole night. Peyton looked across her room when she heard a printing noise and saw Brooke sitting on her computer.

"Hey Brooke" Brooke looked at her as she grabbed the paper she had just printed.

"There's no more alcohol left in the house and I shredded the fake IDs" Peyton gave her a small nod, understanding why she did it. "You need to get it together Peyton, you're better than this" Brooke walked to the foot of Peyton's bed.

"Thank you Brooke" Peyton sat up a little bit in the bed and gave a small smile to Brooke, Brooke didn't return it.

"Yeah whatever Here" She handed Brooke the paper. "Those are the bands that are free for Friday; Karen needs a name by then end of the day. I figured I'd help you since you were so busy with drinking"

"Brooke…" Peyton trailed off, she knew Brooke was pissed and Peyton didn't like dealing with pissed off Brooke.

"I gotta go, I'll see you in school" Brooke grabbed her jacket and was about to leave the room.

"I'm sorry" Brooke turned back to Peyton. "I'm sorry for saying everything I said to you while I was drunk, Brooke I didn't mean any of it"

"Talk to me again when you remember what you said to me" Brooke tried to mask the hurt with anger, but Peyton knew better. Brooke turned and walked out of the room.

When Brooke left, Peyton tried to think of what she said to piss Brooke off, she went over everything she did yesterday and all she could come up with was a lot of drinking, throwing up, drinking some more and then Brooke taking care of her. Peyton's eyes travlled to the window sill in her room and she had a sudden feeling of deja vu, then it hit her Brooke and her had talked after Rachel broke up with her and that was when she had blamed Brooke for their break up...No wonder Brooke was so pissed.

"Damn, it's going be a long week"


	17. Storm before the calm

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. Here's hoping you guys like this chapter, I really REALLY liked writing it. Let me know what you think, please and thanks. Love, forever and always. **

"The storm we talked about for the last few days is about to hit head on tonight, we recommend that you stay in your houses and off the roads. It is going to be a bad one Tree Hill, be sure to have flashlights and candles because we are almost certain that the storm is going to cause blackouts tonight. This is James Tyler with your local weather report"

"Nathan, tell me you have flashlights in one of these boxes!" Haley said in a nasally voice.

"Will you stop getting up, just sit down on the couch and rest" Nathan walked over to Haley and forced her back on the couch. "You're sick enough as it is, you don't need to get worse"

"Nathan, I'm fine" Nathan was about to argue, but Haley's cough did it for him.

"Yeah, you're fine" She glared at him and Nathan let out a laugh as he dug into a box. "Here's your stupid flashlight" Nathan put it down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Thank you" Haley smiled at him.

When there was a knock on the apartment door, Nathan quickly opened it up.

"Brooke, what the hell are you doing out of your house?" Nathan stepped back and let her in. "You do realize that theres supposed to be a big storm tonight right?"

"Yeah, yeah and I'll be home before it starts" Brooke turned her attention to Haley. "I heard you were sick so I decided to stop and get you some soup" Brook placed the white bag containing two Styrofoam cups down on the coffee table.

"Thanks Brooke" Haley said as she pulled the cups out.

"Anytime Hales" Brooke smiled at her.

"So how are you holding up?" Brooke raised an eyebrow. "We could all feel the tension last night at Tric and it wasn't the good kind"

"There's a good kind of tension?" Haley asked as she blew her nose.

"Sexual" Brooke and Nathan answered at the same time; Haley rolls her eyes with a smile.

"We're just not on the best terms with each other, if she wants to blame me for their relationship ending then she can go to hell" Brooke said with a shrug.

"Come on Brooke, you don't mean that" Nathan said as he grabbed a spoon from the kitchen. "You care about her and that's why you took care of her that day, you're speaking out of anger Brooke speak from your heart instead"

"I'm just so tired of it, I mean I try with her and she pushes me away. I don't know how much of it I can take" Brooke let out a sigh.

"I know, but she's hurting and she could really use you right now" Haley said as she opened the cup and put her spoon into it.

"No, she could really use Rachel right now" Their conversation was cut short when a loud clap out thunder hit.

"Well that can't be good" Nathan walked over to the door and pulled it open, outside it was pouring rain.

"Damn it" Brooke walked up to the door as well and frowned.

"Maybe you should stay here Brooke" Brooke turned back to Haley and shook her head.

"No, its fine I'll make it home before it gets really bad" Nathan let out a sarcastic laugh and pointed outside.

"Brooke, it IS bad outside" Haley nodded in agreement.

"Guy's I'll be fine" Brooke headed for the door, before he left she said one more thing. "Now kids, don't do anything I wouldn't do"

"That's a really narrow list" Nathan laughed at the look that crossed over Brooke's face.

"Bye guys" Brooke said with a wave.

"Call us when you get home" Brooke nodded and left.

-  
Brooke was halfway between her house and Nathan's apartment when her car suddenly made a noise, then it began to slow down and then Brooke saw black smoke come out of the hood. Once the car stopped Brooke stepped out of the car and was immediately soaked by the rain, she opened the hood of the car.

"Come on, of all days you decide to break down today? You piece of crap car!" Brooke kicked the car, but only hurt her foot. "Ow!"

Brooke limped to her car and grabbed her cell, when she opened it she saw that her cell was going to die really soon and when she looked at her signal bar she saw she had none. Brooke got out of the car and looked at her phone again and this time she saw bars.

"Of course" With a sigh Brooke held down the number two, it was the speed dial number for Peyton.

-  
Peyton was finishing up some paper work at Tric, trying to get it done as fast as possible so she could get home and away from this storm. She looked to her left when she heard her cell ring, she picked it up quickly knowing the ring tone.

"Hey Brooke" Peyton said with a smile.

"Hey, where are you"

"I'm at Tric, but I'm about to leave. Why?" Peyton could hear the rain in the back ground and got a little worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry to ask because I know it's really crap outside, but can you pick me up on your way home? My car broke down and I don't know what to do"

"No it's fine, I'll come pick you up" Peyton got up and put her coat on. "Where are you?"

"I'm on Jacobs Street"

"Alright I'll be there as soon as I can" Peyton grabbed her keys and walked out the office door.

"Thanks, listen my phone is about to die so if you call and I don't-"

"Brooke, Brooke?" Peyton shut her phone and made her way to the car.

-  
Brooke closed her cell and got into her car; she closed the door and ran her hands over her hair.

"God, this is like some cheesy scene from some stupid horror movie" Brooke said to herself as she got comfortable in her seat.

-  
"Don't you think she should have called by now?" Nathan let out a sigh.

"Haley, she'll call when she gets home" Haley nodded but still looked unsure. "Do you want me to call her?"

"Yes please" Nathan laughed as he pulled out his cell, after a few seconds he hung up. "What?"

"Okay either her cell is dead or off" Haley was about to say something but Nathan quickly kept talking. "Stop worrying; just give her some time to get home. It's bad out so she's going to drive slow, okay?" Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley.

"Okay" Haley started to cough. "Can you get me my cough drops please?"

"Sure" Nathan kissed the top of her head as he got up.

-  
"Damn, it's bad out there" Lucas said as he stared out the window.

"Yeah, I don't know if we should drive home in this" Karen walked up to Lucas and started to untie her apron.

"I think we should just stay here for the night" Keith said as he locked the outside door.

"I agree, get comfy boys it's going to be a long night" Lucas and Keith laughed as they moved over to a couch.

-  
Peyton finally made it to Jacobs Street, she saw Brooke's car as she was driving up but no Brooke and that worried her a little. When she made it to Brooke's car she let out a breath of relief when she saw Brooke inside. Brooke got out of the car and ran to the passenger's side.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked when Brooke got into the car.

"Yeah, thanks for picking me up. Can I borrow your cell?" Peyton handed it to her.

Brooke called Nathan and told him to tell Haley that she was fine and with Peyton, which caused Nathan to have a good laugh and then she called Lucas and asked if he could pick her car up tomorrow.

"Is Lucas going to pick your car up?" Brooke nodded. "Look it's getting really bad out here and my place is a lot closer, what do you say we just go there?"

"Sure, whatever" Brooke shrugged.

"You could be a little more thankful Brooke" Peyton glanced at her before looking back at the road.

"And you could be less of a bitch, but we don't all get what we want" Brooke snapped.

"I'm doing you a favor Brooke" Brooke let out a sigh.

"I know, I know and I am thankful" Brooke's voice was much more soft now.

"You have a funny way of showing it" Peyton turned the car on to her street.

"You and I aren't on the best of terms Peyton" Peyton shook her head.

"Then why the hell did you call me?" Peyton turned the car into her drive way.

"Because you were the first person that came to mind" Brooke said as she got out of the car, Peyton couldn't help but smile when she heard that.

Peyton got out of the car and quickly opened her front door letting both of them in, once they took their coats off they went up to Peyton room.

"I'll get you some extra clothes" Peyton went into her closet and pulled out shorts and a tank top. "Here"

"Thanks" Brooke smiled at she took them; she made her way to the bathroom to change.

Once Brooke went into the bathroom, Peyton changed as well. Brooke stepped out of the bathroom and ran her hands over her arms.

"Do you have anything warm to drink?" Brooke asked as she sat down on the chair by Peyton's desk.

"You threw all my alcohol out" Peyton laughed but stopped when she saw the glare on Brooke's face. "I'll get some coffee"

"Thanks"

Once Peyton left the room, Brooke got up and started to walk around the room. As she was walking her eyes landed on a photo album that was on the floor in Peyton's closet, Brooke walked into the closet and picked up the album. Brooke couldn't help but smile when she saw what the pictures were; it was pictures that Peyton's mom had taken when they were kids. Brooke walked over to Peyton's bed and sat down; she started to go through the rest of the pictures. Brooke got so involved with the pictures, she didn't see Peyton come back upstairs or see her standing in the doorway.

"Do you remember half those days?" Brooke looked at Peyton and nodded.

"Yeah, especially that day" Brooke pointed to a picture; Peyton sat down beside Brooke and handed her a mug as she looked at the picture.

"God, Bitchatoria was so pissed that we took you to the amusement park that day" Brooke laughed as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Man, your mom was content on getting me on that ride" Peyton nodded with a smile.

"I remember" Brooke turned the page and they both froze at the last picture on the last page, it was the last picture taken of Anna Sawyer. "The day is coming up"

"I know, I'll never forget it" Peyton gave Brooke a small smile. "You know I was thinking about your mom the other day and how when I came home with you guys she would make us those amazing cookies" Brooke said with a dreamy look on her face.

"Oh, the double chocolate cookies, those were the best things in the world" Peyton expression matched Brooke's

"Do you remember that one time she was making them and she asked you to bring her the sugar and you brought her the salt by mistake?" Peyton broke out laughing, as did Brooke. "Do you remember our reaction when we took a bite?"

"I remember there being cookie all over the kitchen floor" They started to calm down from their laugh when a loud thunder clap hit.

"Wow, it's getting really bad out there" Brooke got up and walked up to Peyton's window; Peyton followed. When they looked outside lightning flashed and then the lights in Peyton's room flashed as well. "Maybe you should get some candles or something from downstairs"

"No, I'm not going to my creepy basement unless I absolutely have to" Peyton looked out her window over Brooke's shoulder.

"Would you rather go now or when you can't turn on a light" Brooke looked over her shoulder and felt her heart start to speed when she saw how close Peyton was to her.

"Fine, but you're coming with me" Peyton put her mug down and Brooke did the same when Peyton grabbed her hand, once her drink was down she aloud Peyton to drag her.

-  
"So, I've been thinking about the way you treated Lucas the other day" Haley said when Nathan sat down on the couch.

"Haley, the guy's an ass" Haley shook her head as she grabbed a tissue.

"No Nathan, he was an ass. Luke is really trying now and I can see that he is a better man; he is going back to the guy that was my best friend. You need to give him a chance and you need to open your mind a little to see the change" Nathan looked away and shook his head. "Spend some time with him at the river" Haley sneezed before she could finish her sentence.

"Bless you"

"Thank you, spend some time with him at the river court and give him a chance…For me?" Nathan rolled his eyes at that and Haley laughed at that.

"Fine, but you can only use that once this year" They both laughed.

"Deal" Nathan lifted his arm and Haley snuggled into his side.

-  
A few hours later Brooke and Peyton were sitting in Peyton's room with candles lit all over, the lights had gone out about 2 hours ago. Peyton was staring at Brooke and Brooke was staring out the window, Brooke had grown silent and it worried Peyton.

"Okay, why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Brooke shrugged, but never looked at Peyton. "What's going through your head Brooke?" Brooke finally looked at Peyton.

"Tonight doesn't change anything" Peyton looked away and Brooke continued. "I know we've had fun tonight, talking about the past, joking and laughing and it's been great-" Peyton quickly cut her off.

"Yeah, it has" Peyton got up and walked up to Brooke.

"But it doesn't change a thing" Brooke crossed her arms and looked out the window again.

"Why?" Brooke gave her a knowing look. "Because of I said to you when I was drunk?"

"Peyton, if you remembered what you said, you would understand why I'm as pissed as I am" Peyton shook her head.

"You've said some pretty horrible things to me while you were drunk too Brooke" Peyton leaned back against her desk.

"Yeah, but I've always made up for it or fixed it. Have you?" Brooke didn't give her a chance to answer. "No, because you don't even remember"

"I didn't mean it when I said that you ruined my relationship with Rachel, I was drunk and angry and looking for someone to blame and you were in the line of fire. I'm sorry okay?" Brooke shook her head.

"No, that's not what hurt me Peyton" Brooke turned her back to Peyton.

"Do you really think that kiss didn't mean anything to me? I thought you knew me a little better" Brooke turned back to Peyton sharply.

"When someone tells you that something that important didn't mean anything to them, you tend to believe them" Peyton shook her head and reached for the sketch book on her desk.

"This book" Peyton lifted it. "Is filled with sketches of you, because no matter how much I tired I could never get you out of my mind. Before I was with Rachel you were on my mind and then when I got with Rachel you were still on my mind, that says something right?" Peyton put the book down.

"Yeah it does, so why the hell did you choose Rachel over me that day in your office, do you understand how much that hurt me? I opened my heart to you, told you I was in love with you and you chose her, why?" Brooke could feel her tears building up.

"Because I was scared Brooke" Peyton could feel her own tears build up as well.

"Of what?" Peyton ran her hands through her hair before answering.

"Of you only wanting me because I was taken" Brooke looked away. "Of all your feelings going away if Rachel and I broke up, of you realizing that you never really felt anything for me"

"Peyton, I told you that I'm in love with you. How can you think that I don't want you?" Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Weren't you scared when I told you that I loved you?" Brooke looked away again and Peyton had her answer. "It's a scary thing when someone tells you they love you, especially when you've been waiting for them to say it for such a long time" Brooke's turned her eyes back to Peyton. "I'm not over you Brooke, I know I told you I was, but I'm not. I'm still in love with you" Brooke looked at her in slight shock. "When Rachel left me, she told me that I don't listen to my heart. I'm listening to it now"

"What's it saying?" They both gazed into each other's eyes.

Suddenly Peyton rushed forward and attached her lips to Brooke's, Peyton's arms wrapped around Brooke's waist and Brooke's went around Peyton's neck. Just as the kiss started to get hot, Brooke pulled back and put her forehead against Peyton's.

"Peyton-" Peyton cut her off.

"Brooke, shut up and let me kiss you" They smiled against each other's lips, Peyton leaned in again and as she did the lights came back on.

"Lights are back" Brooke pulled back and looked around Peyton's room.

"That is too weird, we kiss and the lights come back" They both let out a laugh.

"Maybe it's a sign" Peyton laughed and shook her head.

Peyton walked to the entrance of her room and turned off the light, while Brooke blew the candles out. Peyton took the candles downstairs and when she came back up Brooke was lying in bed looking at her. Peyton got into the bed and slid close to Brooke, Brooke turned so she could look into Peyton's eyes.

"You look tired" Peyton whispered as she slid her arm around Brooke's waist.

"I am" Brooke was trying really hard to keep her eyes open.

"Go to sleep Brooke" Peyton leaned in and placed a soft kiss on to Brooke's lips.

"Goodnight Peyton" Brooke turned around so that her back was to Peyton's front and place a hand on top of the arm that was wrapped around her waist.

"Goodnight Brooke" Peyton smiled as her eyes started to close.

The next morning came and Brooke woke up when the bright sunlight hit her face, she opened her eyes and started to turn in the bed. Brooke smiled when she saw that Peyton was already awake, Peyton turned her head toward Brooke.

"It's going to be a great day" Peyton said with a smile.

"Yeah it is" Brooke smiled as Peyton leaned in; the kiss was soft and gentle. "I need to ask you something" Brooke said when she pulled back.

"Okay" Worry laced Peyton's voice slightly.

"You want this right, like really want it?" Brooke shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Yeah Brooke, why?" Peyton frowned.

"Because you and Rachel just broke up and a few days ago you were so heartbroken about that, I don't want you to move on to me because you're lonely or something. I want you to be completely over her when we get together" Peyton nodded as she ran her fingers up and down Brooke's arm.

"I understand that, but that's not what this is about; you are not my rebound. Rachel left me because she realized I was in love with you before I was ready to admit it, but now I'm not afraid to admit it; I love you Brooke" Peyton interlocked their fingers.

"I love you too" Brooke leaned in this time and kissed Peyton.

Things seem to be finally looking up for these girls, but as we all know…Happiness never last long in Tree Hill.


	18. Kiss you loud and kiss you proud

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. I know it's been a while since I updated and I am very sorry about that, please forgive me. I hope that this chapter makes up for lost time, please tell me what you think because I love to know. Love forever and always. **

Peyton had Brooke pinned against her front door and has Brooke locked in a heated kiss, Brooke had been ready to go home and get some sleep when Peyton decided that they should make out instead. Peyton pressed her body closer to Brooke, but Brooke pulled away.

"I gotta go home" Brooke pressed her forehead against Peyton's.

"Why? Just stay here" Peyton said with a small laugh, her hands rubbing small circles on Brooke's hips.

"If I stay here, we're not actually going to sleep" Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton's waist.

"Yeah, it's true" They both let out a laugh, Peyton leaned in and kissed Brooke quickly. "I love you" Peyton gave her a sweet smile.

"I love you too" Brooke kissed her once more before leaving.

"Hey" Brooke turned back around. "I'll pick you up tomorrow and we'll go to school together"

"Sounds good" Brooke waved and walked away.

-  
The next morning when Peyton picked Brooke up, she gave her the biggest smile she could. However, the smile wasn't returned by Brooke and that worried Peyton right away.

"What's wrong?" Brooke let out a small sigh before answering Peyton.

"How would you feel if I told you that I only want Nathan and Haley to know about us right now?" Peyton mouth formed into an 'O' shape as she nodded slowly.

"Why, are you embarrassed to be with me?" Peyton started to drive to the school.

"No, it's not that at all Peyton, I just don't know what the reaction is going to be and I don't want us to have to deal with it right now" Peyton glanced at her and raised an eyebrow before looking back at the road.

"Since when did you care what people think?" Brooke let out a sigh.

"Peyton, I just don't want to deal with the drama that will come from this…I just want t be happy with you and enjoy it before it gets complicated" Silence took over before Peyton broke it.

"Okay" Peyton said with a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Yes" Peyton nodded.

"You don't sound sure" Brooke frowned slightly.

"It's fine Brooke, I understand" Peyton gave her a small smile before turning back to the road.

"Thank you" Brooke said in a small whisper.

"You're welcome" Brooke didn't see how tight Peyton was gripping the steering wheel.

-  
Lucas was sitting at a table in the quad reading a book when Nathan sat down beside him; Lucas let out a sigh and closed his book.

"What?" Lucas looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want to have a one on one game tonight at the river court?" Nathan looked away as he asked the question.

"Why?" Lucas frowned; he didn't understand where this was coming from.

"Because I told Haley that I would give the 'new you' a chance" Lucas shook his head and let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Don't do me any favors Nathan" Nathan turned his head to Lucas.

"I'm not; I'm doing it for Haley. She really wants us to get along, so meet me at the court for her and we'll talk. What do you say?" Lucas thought about it for a second before nodding.

"Alright sure, I'll meet you at the court around five" Nathan nodded and stood up. "Nathan" Nathan turned back around with a sigh. "Just so we're clear, I don't care what you think of me okay? I'm doing this for Haley too" Nathan nodded with a smirk as he walked away.

-  
Haley closed her locker and as she did she saw Nathan walking into the school, she quickly rushed to him.

"Did you talk to Luke?" Haley asked as she laced their hands together.

"Yeah, we're going to play a game tonight at the river court and talk about everything" Nathan said as they stopped in front of his locker.

"Thank you for doing this Nathan" Haley gave him a small smile.

"Anytime Hales" Nathan gave her a quick kiss.

"Hey guys" Nathan and Haley both turned and smiled at Brooke and Peyton. "Can we talk to you guys for a second?" Peyton asked and she nodded her head to the exit doors.

"Sure" Nathan nodded and he closed his locker.

The four of them made their way outside and Brooke had them sit down at a nearby table.

"What's going on guys?" Haley's voice laced with worry.

"Well something happened over the weekend and wanted you guys to be the first to know" Peyton explained as she took a seat across from Nathan.

"What happened?" Nathan's voice also had a hint of worry, Brooke looked around to make sure that no one else was around before she answered Nathan's question.

"We…We're together" Brooke said with a smile.

"No way" Nathan said with excitement and a smile.

"Well it's about time you two" Haley got up and embraced Brooke, while Nathan did the same to Peyton.

"I think so too" Peyton said with a laugh as she stood up.

"We're happy for you guys" Nathan wrapped an arm around each of the girls.

"Thanks, you guys are the only ones that we want to know about us right now, so please keep it under wraps for a while" Haley and Nathan shared a look.

"Wait, you guys are keeping this a secret?" Haley asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For now, Brooke doesn't want us to have to deal with the drama right now" Haley and Nathan both nodded slightly.

"Alright, well thanks for telling us" Nathan said as he removed his arms and moved to step beside Haley.

"You guys have never left our side and have always been there for us when we needed you, it's right that you guys know" They both smiled at Brooke, the bell rang and the four of them made their way to the school.

Once they made it into the school Nathan and Brooke went one way, while Haley and Peyton went the other.

"Are you really okay with keeping this a secret?" Haley asked once Brooke was out of hearing range.

"No, not really but if it makes Brooke happy then I'll do it" Peyton gave her a small shrug.

"Maybe you should talk to her Peyton" Peyton shook her head as she stopped in front of her class room.

"Her mind is set on keeping this between the four of us, its fine" Peyton walked into her classroom, not giving Haley a chance to say anything.

-  
Lucas walked out of his class and started to make his way to his locker when he saw Peyton, Lucas stopped and thought about walking up to her after a moment he made his way up to Peyton.

"Hey" Peyton turned and smiled at Lucas.

"Hey Lucas" They both stepped to the side of the hallway so that they weren't in the middle of the hallway.

"You're looking a lot better than the last time I saw you" They both let out a laugh.

"Yeah things are starting to look up" Peyton said with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad you're okay" Lucas placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Luke" Lucas gave her a smile.

Before either of them could say anything more Rachel walked past them, Rachel's eyes locked with hers for a second before she kept on walking.

"Does it hurt?" Peyton looked at Lucas again and raised an eyebrow. "To see Rachel every day, I mean it can't be easy"

"No, it's not easy but I have something that's going to help me get through today and every one after it" Peyton said with a small smile.

"What's that?" Lucas stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Them" Peyton pointed over Lucas' shoulder, he turned and saw Nathan, Haley and Brooke making their way over to them.

"You and Brooke are good again?" Lucas asked as he turned his head back around.

"Yeah, we kinda talked everything through the day of the storm" Peyton waved when the three got closer.

"Good for you guys" Lucas looked over his shoulder and smiled at Haley.

"Hey P. Sawyer" Brooke smiled at Peyton and gave a small wave to Lucas.

"Hey B. Davis" Peyton returned the smile.

"Take a walk with me?" Peyton nodded. "We'll see you guys later"

Peyton and Brooke made their way out of the school.

"Where are we going?"Peyton asked as she kept following Brooke.

"Somewhere that we can be alone" Brooke said with an unseen smirk.

Brooke took Peyton's hand and pulled her into the school, she stopped in front of a door that was locked. When Lucas and Brooke had first gotten together they had stumbled on this room and Brooke used her very skilled hands to pick the lock. One Brooke made sure that no one was looking she opened the door and pulled Peyton in.

There was nothing special about the room, just a room that used to be used for meeting but now remains locked for most of the time.

"When did you learn how to pick locks?" Peyton laughed as she looked around the room.

"You remember when I was 15 and my mom took my cell away and locked it in her room and I was waiting for a call from Jack Sanders?" Peyton nodded. "Yeah, then" They both let out a laugh.

"So, what are we doing in here?"Peyton asked as she placed her hands on Brooke's hips, Brooke's arms went around Peyton's neck.

"Like I said, alone time" Brooke mumbled against Peyton's lips.

"Good, because I've wanted to do this all day" Peyton closed her eyes and felt Brooke smile.

Brooke closed the little gap between them and captured Peyton's lips in a slow kiss, Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist and darted her tongue out. Peyton licked Brooke's bottom lip asking for entrance, Brooke parted her lips and let Peyton's tongue slide in. Peyton backs Brooke into a wall and the kiss started to get heated.

-  
"How would you feel if I told you I wanted to keep our relationship hidden?" Haley asked Nathan as she took a sip of her water.

"Hales, we did keep it a secret" Nathan answered with a laugh.

"Yeah, because we were afraid of Lucas' reaction" Nathan nodded.

"And Brooke is afraid of everyone else's" Nathan took a sip from his drink.

"So you're agreeing with her?" Haley raised an eye brow and crossed her legs.

"I'm just saying that I understand where she's coming from" Haley gave him a small nod. "Hey, we're going to support them either way right?" Haley nodded.

"It just sucks for Peyton" Nathan gave her a confused look.

"She doesn't want to hide it?" Haley shook her head, Nathan's confused expression changed into a thoughtful one.

-  
"So is this how we're always going to have to meet?" Peyton held the door open for Brooke.

"What?" Brooke looked over her shoulder at Peyton.

"If we want to be together, is this how we're going to have to do it?" Peyton raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Peyton…" Brooke trailed off, not sure what to say.

"It's fine, I just wanted to make sure" Peyton turned to walk away, but Brooke pulled her back.

"Peyton, talk to me if this isn't what you want" Peyton shook her head and pulled her wrist back.

"Brooke, I don't care what they think of us, what you think of us is all that matters and if you feel the need to have to hide us then that says something about what you think of us" Brooke was about to speak but Peyton beat her too it. "But if this is what you want to do then I'll support you because I love you and I'll wait till you're ready to go public with us because I want nothing more than to be with you….It just sucks that we can't show our love to the world" Peyton leaned in and gave Brooke a quick kiss. "I gotta go" Brooke watched Peyton leave before she put her head down.

-  
"Where were you all lunch?" Brooke looked behind her and smiled at Nathan.

"Getting some alone time with my girl" Brooke whispered, Nathan gave her a small smile.

"I'm going to say something and you're not going to like it, but I want you to hear me out" Brooke nodded, a look of worry coming over her face. "I don't think you should hide what you have with Peyton; I understand being scared of people's reaction"

"But?" Nathan chuckled before continuing.

"But you've wanted this, Peyton and you, for so long…Why are you hiding it when you finally have it?" Brooke looked away from Nathan and looked across the hallway to see Peyton making her way to her class.

"That's a really good question" Brooke walked away from Nathan and started to make her way to Peyton, when Nathan saw that he smiled hoping that his words got through to Brooke.

"Hey, you okay?" Nathan looked to his left and smiled at Haley.

"Yeah" Nathan turned his eyes back to Brooke and Peyton, Haley followed his line of sight.

"Everything okay with them?" Nathan nodded.

"Yeah, I had a talk with Brooke and I'm just hoping that she listens" Haley smiled at him before turning her attention to the girls.

Brooke walked up to Peyton and smiled at her, Peyton smiled back.

"I can't talk right now, but I'll catch up with you later" Peyton turned to walk into the classroom, but Brooke grabbed her arm.

"Wait" Before Peyton had a chance to react, Brooke pulled Peyton into her and kissed her softly. Peyton was too shocked to respond at first, but quickly kissed her back. Brooke pulled back after a few seconds and put her forehead against Peyton's with a smile.

"Everyone's staring" Peyton said with a smile.

"Who cares? Brooke said causing Peyton's smile to widen. "You're right, our love should be shown to the world and our love is all is all that matters and God do I love you" Peyton and Brooke both let out a laugh.

"I'll see you after class?" After Brooke nodded Peyton gave her a quick kiss before walking into the class room.

When Brooke looked up all eyes were on her, she looked around and saw a smiling Nathan and Haley. Brooke was about to make the long walk to her class room while being stared at, but she was going to do it with a smile on her face. Brooke was about to start walking when she felt a hand slip into her own, Brooke looked to her right and smiled at Peyton.

"How about I walk you to class instead?" Peyton asked as she looked at everyone.

"I'd like that" Peyton smiled at her and they began to walk.

Nathan and Haley smiled at each other, Nathan wrapped his arm around Haley and they turned to walk away. When they turned, Nathan caught sight of Lucas standing at his locker with a look on his face that Nathan did not like.

-  
Later that evening Peyton was on her way to meet Brooke at Karen's Café, she parked and got out of the car. Peyton started to walk to the door, before she could open the door someone else stepped out…It was Rachel. Peyton and Rachel could both feel the awkwardness as soon as Rachel stepped outside.

"Hey" Peyton's voice covered with an awkward tone.

"Hey" Rachel's with slight bitterness; they both fell into silence before Rachel broke it. "So, Brooke and you huh?"

"Yeah" Peyton answered with a smile.

"Good, I'm glad you're finally following your heart" Rachel turned and started to walk away.

"I'm not sorry that it happened" Rachel turned back around and frowned. "I'm just sorry that it happened like this"

"Me too, maybe if you had listened to your heart from the start I wouldn't be hurting right now" Rachel said, understanding what Peyton was referring too.

"You knew that I loved Brooke when we got together" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Did you not love me when we were together?" Rachel raised a slender eyebrow.

"Of course I did" Peyton quickly answered.

"Just not as much as you loved Brooke and that makes it okay to cheat on me?" Rachel narrowed her eyes at Peyton.

"No, God I never meant to hurt you Rachel" Peyton stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Yeah, okay" Rachel said with a sarcastic laugh, she turned to walk away but turned back once more. "How can you tell someone you love them when you're really cheating on them and then keep it away from them for 4 months? Because that's what hurts Peyton…Everyday" Rachel shook her head and walked away.

Peyton let her eyes linger on Rachel's retreating form, until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a small kiss being placed on her cheek.

"Are you okay?" Peyton nodded. "What was that all about?" Brooke had gotten to the Café in time to see Rachel walk away from Peyton.

"Don't worry about it, it's not important" Peyton said as she turned in Brooke's arms. "Come on, let's go inside" Brooke nodded with a smile and they both walked into the café.

-  
Nathan had the ball, he dribbled it between his legs; he faked left and went right, but Lucas was stayed in front of him. Nathan did a cross over and finally got some space, he took a small back step to create even more space before hitting a jump shot and the last basket of the game.

"And that's that" Nathan said as his feet hits the ground again.

"So, are we going to talk now or what?" Lucas asked as he sat down on the bleachers.

"We were going to, but today I saw that you haven't changed at all" Nathan crouched down in front of the basketball to catch his breath as he looked at Lucas.

"What? Listen-" Nathan quickly cut him off.

"No, you listen to me; I saw the look on your face when Brooke and Peyton kissed, so I'm going to say this once" Nathan picked up the ball and stood up, he walked up to Lucas and stopped when he was in front of him. "If you ruin this for them, ruin what they have" Nathan whipped the basketball at Lucas, Lucas caught it but felt chills when he saw the look in Nathan's, icy blue, eyes. "I will ruin you and I'll do it with a smile on my face"

Nathan turned and walked off the court leaving Lucas behind with a lot to think about.


	19. Expressing the love I feel

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. This chapter was really fun to write and I can't wait to hear...Er read what you guys think of it. I want to take a second to REALLY thank you guys for the review, they are so great and I love you guys for, you guys are so great to me. Love forever and always. **

"I can't believe how busy this place has been since Tric opened" Karen said as she stepped back around the counter and put the coffee pot down.

"I know, but it's a great thing right?" Haley asked as she grabbed a piece of cake and put it in front of a customer.

"It's a great thing" Karen threw a smile at Haley.

"Thank God you're both here" Karen and Haley both looked at the entrance and saw Peyton rushing in.

"What's wrong?" Karen quickly walked around the corner and pulls her to the side, Haley right behind her.

"No, no sorry I didn't mean to worry you. I need to ask you guys for a huge favor" Karen and Haley shared a look before turning back to Peyton.

"What?" Haley finally asked.

"I have this great date planned for Saturday night with Brooke, but I'm going to need your help to put it off" Peyton said with a large smile.

"Alright, well do you mind if we talk about it when the Café is closed? We're kinda busy" Karen nodded her head to the main part of the café.

"Yeah I can tell" Peyton looked around and chuckled. "No problem, I'll come back" Peyton started to dig into her bag. "Before I forget these are the bands that confirmed for Friday so far and I'm on my way to Tric to check on the rest" Peyton handed Karen a piece of paper.

"Okay, we'll see you late then" Peyton nodded and walked out of the café.

-  
Brooke just stepped out of her shower; she is in a white fluffy robe and is drying her hair when he cell rings. Brooke smiled when she heard the ring tone.

"Hey baby" Brooke smiles as she takes a seat on her bed.

"Hey Brooke, what are you doing Saturday?"

"Nothing…Am I doing something now?" Brooke put her towel down and ran a hand through her, wet, hair.

"Yeah, you have a date with me"

"Do I now?" Brooke asked with a laugh in her voice.

"Yes and it's going to be awesome"

"Well you've gotten me excited" They both let out a laugh. "Do you wanna come over?"

"I would love to, but I have to go do some stuff at Tric"

"So, come over when you're done" Brooke moved to her closet and started searching for something to wear.

"After Tric I have to talk to Karen about something"

"You're not making this easy" Brooke held the phone between her shoulder and ear as she pulled on her shorts.

"Tell you what; if it's not too late when I'm done everything I'll come over"

"Alright" Brooke grabbed a top and put it on her bed.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing, I have a few new movies that I'll probably watch" Brooke walked back into her bathroom and plugged in her hairdryer.

"Alright, have fun with them"

"I'd rather have fun with you" Brooke and Peyton both let out a chuckle.

"I'll talk to you later babe, love you"

"I love you too" Brooke smiled as she hung up.

-  
"So, is this going to be a regular thing now?" Nathan asked as he picked up a plate and put it in the dirty dishes bin. "After every service Keith and I are going to have to help you guys clean up?"

"Yeah, isn't it going to be fun baby" Haley gave him a small smile before walking around the counter, Karen and her both let out a chuckle.

"No not really" Keith and Nathan said at the same time.

"Where's Lucas, shouldn't he be helping us with this?" Keith looked at Karen for an answer.

"Yeah, where is that loser I call a best friend?" Haley said causing Karen to laugh.

"He's hanging out with the river court boy's for the first time in a while and I didn't want to take him away from that" Karen started to wipe the counter. "He's always the one that helps me otherwise, so I figured it would be alright if I gave him a break"

"Fine but just this once" Keith threw a smirk at Karen.

All four of them turned to the entrance when they heard the door open, Peyton walked in and smiled at them.

"Awesome, you guys are here too" Peyton pointed to Keith and Nathan.

"Great more work" Keith whispered to Nathan, who let out a laugh.

"What's up Sawyer?" Nathan took a seat beside her at the counter.

"I was telling Karen and Haley earlier that I have this great date night planned for Brooke on Saturday, but I'm going to need help to pull it off" Peyton explained, getting a nod from Nathan and Keith.

"So tell us what you have in mind Peyton" Haley leaned across the counter and laced her fingers together with Nathan's.

"Well, I want to have a date on the beach, do you have a table I can borrow?" Peyton raised an eyebrow at Karen.

"Actually we do, we have a couple in the back that didn't fit in the café" Karen gestured to the back of the café.

"Keith, do you think you could assemble it?"Peyton turned her head to Keith.

"I could if I was given enough time" Keith answered with a shrug.

"I want to get there around 8 and she'll take about an hour to get ready, do you think you could do it within that time?" Keith gave her a nod.

"Yeah, I could do it faster if Nathan helped" Keith pointed to Nathan and Peyton looked over at him.

"Could you help Nathan?" Peyton shifted in her seat.

"Yeah, sure thing" Peyton gave him a thankful smile.

"Thanks guys, you have to let me know when you're done with it because I have to set the table cloth, candles, glasses, plates and utensils when you guys are done" They both gave her a nod, Peyton turned her attention to Haley and Karen. "From you guys I need food"

"What kind of food?" Karen propped her chin up with her hands.

"Pasta with seasoned vegetables?" Peyton's voice filled with hope.

"I think we can make that happen" Karen looked at Haley and they both nodded.

"Thank you and I need that lemon meringue pie" Peyton pointed to the pie that was in display, clearly it was just put there after today's service.

"That's tomorrow's special" Karen said, also pointing to the display.

"Please Karen, I'll pay for everything right now…Please, its Brooke's favorite desert" Peyton looked at Karen with puppy dog eyes.

"Come on Karen, I think we can whip something up for tomorrow" Haley lightly nudged Karen.

"Alright, fine" Karen opened up the display, but before she reached in she looked back up at Peyton again. "But it's only because I love you and Brooke" Everyone in the room let out a laugh.

"Thank you so much Karen" Peyton dug in to her purse and pulled out her wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

"Haley, can you put the pie in the fridge and write a note telling Deb that it is not for sale" Haley nodded and walked to the back. "Um…Let's make it an even $35"

"Wow, really? That a really good deal" Peyton pulled out her credit card and passed it to Karen with a smile, understanding why it was so cheap.

"Don't worry about it" Karen gave her a small smile.

"Alright guys this is how it's going to go down, after the table is done with I'm going to go pick up Brooke, while Nathan and Keith wait in Keith's car for me to get back. Then when I get back I'm going to leave my car off the beach, once Brooke and I are out of sight you're going to drive back to the café and pick the food up. Once you guys have the food you'll come back to the beach and put the food in my car and of course text me when you get there" They all gave her a nod. "I'll leave my door open so you have access to my car and when we're done I'll clean up, but I'm going to need you to take the table and chairs back" Peyton took her credit card back with a smile.

"So, text me when you're done, Keith and I will go back and get the table and chairs" Nathan said as stretched.

"Karen, when I get the food it's going to be hot right?" Peyton stood up from her seat.

"Yeah, don't worry about the food Peyton. I promise you it's going to be great" Karen untied her apron with a smile.

"Thanks guys, I owe you all one" Peyton dug into her bag. "By the way, the last few bands are going to play at Tric tomorrow" Peyton handed the sheet to Karen.

"Great, thanks Peyton" Karen said as she looked down at the sheet.

"No problem, thanks again guys" Peyton waved and made her way to the exit.

-  
Peyton drove to Brooke's house, it was late but she was sure Brooke wouldn't mind. Peyton parked her car and made her way to the front door, she was about to ring the bell but thought better of it. Peyton bent down and turned a rock over, she picked up the key that was under it and quickly unlocked the door; she put the key back before opening the door. Peyton walked in and locked the door behind her, she made her way upstairs to Brooke's room and smiled when she saw Brooke asleep under her covers. Peyton turned her eyes to the TV and shook her head.

_Breakfast club, why am I not surprised? I thought she was going to watch new movies _

Peyton walked up to Brooke and slowly took the remote from under her hand; she turned back to the TV and turned it off. Peyton took her shoes and jacket off; she slid under the covers and beside Brooke. Peyton wrapped her arm around Brooke's waist and snuggled close to her.

"It's late" Peyton heard Brooke say in a sleepy voice.

"Do you want me to leave?" Peyton started to pull her arm away, but laughed when Brooke held her arm in place.

"If you move, I'll leave you" Brooke's voice filled with playfulness.

"Give me a kiss" Brooke turned her head slightly and kissed Peyton, before she could pull away Peyton deepened the kiss for a second and then pulled away.

"I love you" Peyton placed a small kiss on Brooke's lips again.

"I love you too" Another kiss before Brooke put her head down and snuggled further into Peyton's arms. "I'm glad you came"

"Me too"

-  
It was Friday night and Tric was pumping with music, Peyton had just introduced the second last band that was up for the night and she couldn't believe how alive the club still was. It was getting pretty late and Peyton was ready to sleep on her feet.

Right now Peyton is standing in the back watching the band play; she had been backstage the whole night and felt kind of bad about it because she didn't get the chance to see Brooke all night. Peyton turned to pick her drink up from a table, when she turned around she saw Brooke looking around; clearly looking for her. With a smile Peyton made her way over to Brooke, once she was behind Brooke she wrapped her arms around Brooke and brought her mouth to Brooke's ear.

"Looking for me?" Peyton smiled when she felt Brooke relax in her arms.

"Yeah, I missed you" Brooke put her hands on top of Peyton's arms; she smiled when Peyton placed a small kiss on her neck.

"I'm sorry, this place has been crazy today" Peyton slipped her arm away from Brooke's hand and then took Brooke's hand in her own and spun her around.

"I can tell" Brooke said as she hung her hands loosely around Peyton's neck.

Peyton smiled as she leaned in and took Brooke's lips with her own, Brooke deepened the kiss and got a moan from Peyton. When air became a need, they pulled away but kept their foreheads together.

"Can we go somewhere privet?" Brooke asked as she pulled her forehead away.

"I wish, but I have be back here in case anyone needs me" Brooke let out a groan and Peyton let out a laugh.

"Peyton!" Peyton turned and looked at Karen. "Get the last band ready, we're one song away from them" Peyton gave her a nod.

"I'll be right back" Brooke nodded and let Peyton go.

Peyton grabbed the band and after a while she introduced them, Peyton walked backstage again and smiled at Brooke. Peyton walked up to her and their arms went around each other.

"I love you girlfriend" Brooke said against Peyton's lips.

"I love you too" Peyton attached their lips together.

-  
Finally Saturday was here, the big date night for the girls and Peyton was hoping against hope that everything was going to go great. It was only a first date but she wanted it to go great, Brooke had wanted to go on a date for a while but Peyton kept putting it off and now a week since they got together she wanted this date to be perfect.

Peyton told Brooke to let her know as soon as she was dressed; Peyton was on her way to meet Keith and Nathan to set the table up. So far everything was going great. Finally Peyton got to the beach; she grabbed everything from her car and rushed to the boys.

"Hey Sawyer, are we making good time?" Nathan asked when he saw Peyton making her way to them.

"Yeah, but the faster we finish the better for me and my sanity" Keith and Nathan laughed. "Here, be careful with that" Peyton handed Keith a box. "Help me with the table cloth Scott" Peyton dug in the bag she had and pulled out a white table cloth.

Once they put the cloth on the table Peyton turned back to the bag and pulled out two candles and a lighter, she gave Nathan the lighter while she put the candles onto the table. Nathan started to light the candles and Peyton went back to Keith; she opened the box and pulled out two wrapped packages. Under the wrapping was two wine glasses, she put the glasses on to the table.

Keith put the box down and started to help Peyton, he pulled out the plates after Peyton pulled out the utensils and the both of them quickly set the table. Peyton ran back to her car and came back with a bottle of red wine, she placed it on the table and the three of them stepped back to look at the table.

"It looks good, it looks good right?" Nathan and Keith chuckled.

"It looks great Sawyer" Nathan placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her.

Peyton reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone when it buzzed.

"Alright, Brooke's ready for me to pick her up" Peyton closed her phone after replying and put it back into her pocket. "You guys remember what to do right?"

"Yes, don't worry Peyton, I promise everything is going to be great" Peyton gave them one more smile before leaving.

-  
Peyton drove to Brooke's house, the whole time thinking about what Brooke's reaction was going to be like when she saw the beach. When she finally got to Brooke's house, she rang her door bell and waited for her to open the door.

When the door opened Peyton's breath was taken away, her eyes travelled down Brooke's body and she couldn't believe how amazingly beautiful this woman was.

Brooke was wearing a low neck, blue and white, halter top, blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black boots that were calf high. Her hair had a slight curl to it and she had very little make- up on, but that didn't matter to Peyton because Brooke always looked amazing to her.

"Wow, you look…Wow" Brooke slightly blushed and laughed.

"You're looking pretty wow yourself" Making Peyton blush this time.

Peyton had on a tight black and white t-shirt, the leather jacket Brooke gave her on top of that, a pair of black skinny jeans and black and white converse. She left her hair in her regular curls.

"Come on, let's go" Peyton extended her hand and Brooke took it with a smile.

Once they got to the car Peyton walked Brooke to the passenger side and opened the door, but Brooke closed it and stepped between the door and Peyton. She leaned in and kissed Peyton, Brooke darted her tongue out and Peyton accepted it. She wrapped an arm around Brooke and pressed her against the car door slightly, when Brooke moaned Peyton broke the kiss.

"What was that for?" Peyton asked in a whisper.

"Just because you look so damn hot tonight" Brooke leaned in to kiss her again, except Peyton dogged it and pulled Brooke away from the door.

"I'm still not going to tell you where we're going" Peyton let go of Brooke and opened the door.

"Aw you suck!" Brooke groaned as she got into the car.

Peyton shook her head and laughed as she walked to the driver's side.

-  
"Can I ask you something?" Keith looked at Nathan and nodded. "How do you know what you feel for someone is true?

"What do you mean?" Nathan let out a sigh before he began to explain.

"When I'm with Haley I'm happy and I can't think straight, when I'm not with her I wish I was. I'm in love with her and I'm going to marry her one day, but how do I know that this isn't me being a teenager? How do I know if it's real?" Nathan asked?

"Does it feel real in here?" Keith pointed to Nathan's heart.

"Yeah, more than anything" Nathan nodded.

"Then that's all you need to tell you if it's real" Nathan gave him another nod.

"Have you ever acted on your feeling's Keith?" Keith chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not yet" Nathan shook his head at Keith, causing Keith to raise an eyebrow.

"You should act on your feelings for Karen, everyone knows you love her" Keith leaned back in his car and shrugged.

"Except for Karen" Nathan gave him an understanding look.

"The ones we love are always blind to us" The words brought a thoughtful expression onto Keith's face. "They're here" Nathan pointed.

Once they both saw the car park, they both ducked to make sure that they wouldn't be seen. Once Brooke and Peyton were out of sight, the boys drove off.

-  
"Oh my God" Brooke couldn't believe her eyes. "Did you do all this?" Brooke made herself look at Peyton.

"With a little help" Peyton said with a wink. "Come on" Peyton took Brooke's hand and started to guide her to the table.

"Peyton this is too much" Brooke said as she sat down.

"It's not enough" Peyton leaned down and kissed Brooke. "Wine?" Peyton picked up the bottle and opened it up.

"Red?" Peyton nodded. "Then yes please" Brooke extended her glass and Peyton poured the wine.

The girls started to make idle conversation, while Peyton waited for the food to get here. About 20 minutes later, Peyton's phone went off. She picked it up and read the message.

"I'll be right back" Brooke nodded with a smile as Peyton walked off.

A few minutes later Brooke heard the roar of Peyton's Comet, she let out a laugh when the car drove up on to the beach. Peyton got out of the car and pulled something out, she started to make her way back to Brooke.

"Dinner has arrived" Peyton put the white bag on to the table and pulled out two containers.

"What is it?" Brooke asked as she got up and helped Peyton take everything out of the bag.

"Pasta and seasoned vegetables" Peyton opened the containers and placed it between them.

"Wow, this looks amazing" They sat down and started to serve.

"Mm and it tastes amazing too" Peyton said with a laugh.

"Thank you for this Peyton" Brooke's eyes filled with love as was her voice.

"You're welcome" Peyton leaned across the table for a quick kiss.

-  
Rachel was standing at a bridge that over looked the beach, she wanted to walk away when she saw Brooke and Peyton on a date but for some reason she couldn't walk away.

"It sucks doesn't it?" Rachel looked behind her and saw Lucas standing there.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow as Lucas stepped beside her.

"Seeing them together, seeing the one you love loving someone else" Lucas looked at the couple for a second before turning back to Rachel. "Now you know how I felt when I had to see you and Peyton together"

"Don't compare what I'm feeling to what you felt" Rachel started to walk away but stopped to say one last thing. "She actually loved me" Rachel continued to walk.

"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better" Lucas kept walking with her, they stopped at a cross path. "We both know that she always loved Brooke" Lucas walked away and after a moment so did Rachel.

-  
Peyton had just fed Brooke the last piece of the pie and leaned back.

"I can't believe how good that pie is" Peyton said with a smile.

"I can't believe that I ate the whole damn thing" They both let out a laugh. "I'm going to have to work out like hell tomorrow"

"We both will babe" Peyton started to clean the table, Brooke was quick to help her.

Once the table was cleared Brooke took a seat on the sand and patted the spot beside her, with a smile Peyton sat down as well. Peyton wrapped an arm around Brooke's shoulder and Brooke leaned into her. They looked at each other and smiled, Peyton was about to lean in when she felt Brooke shiver.

"Are you cold?" Peyton ran her hand up and down Brooke's arm.

"A little" Peyton nodded and stood up, she made her way to her car.

"Here" Peyton came back with a blanket in hand; when she sat back down she wrapped the blanket around both of them and moved as close as possible to Brooke.

Peyton leaned in again and kissed Brooke, the kiss was slow and filled with love. Peyton licked Brooke's bottom lip and Brooke parted her lips letting Peyton slide her tongue in. The kiss turned from slow to hunger filled with passion, tongue's battled for dominance. Peyton leaned Brooke down till she was on her back and moved on top of Brooke, the blanket still covering them. Brooke let out a low moan into Peyton's mouth when she felt Peyton's hand slide up her shirt and rub circles on her hips. Brooke moved her hands from Peyton's back and into Peyton's hair. Peyton broke the kiss to breath; she started to kiss down Brooke's jaw but stopped at her neck. Peyton licked Brooke's pulse point before she sucked, earning another moan from Brooke. Peyton started to lift her hands higher when suddenly the tide came in and soaked the bottom of the blanket as well as their legs in cold water. Brooke and Peyton jumped apart.

"Holy crap!" Peyton moved away from Brooke.

"Damn that's cold!" Brooke stood up fast and moved further up the sand.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked with a laugh when she got a little more used to the cold.

"Yeah" Brooke said with a groan. "We were getting pretty hot anyway, we needed a cold shower" They both started laughing.

"Do you wanna come over tonight?" Peyton asked, hoping to continue this at her house.

"Yeah, I do" Brooke answered, thinking the same thing.

Peyton opened the door for Brooke and as she walked to the other end of the car she texted Nathan telling him that they were done, she thanked him and told him to thank everyone. Once Peyton got into the car, she leaned in and gave Brooke a quick kiss before she started to drive.

-  
Rachel was sitting in her room thinking over what Lucas had told her, she didn't want to believe that Peyton never loved her that would hurt a lot more that Peyton cheating on her. Rachel doesn't cry, she hates crying in front of people and that's why she didn't break down in Peyton's room. However, right now she couldn't control the tears or the sobs that were pouring out of her.

_I hate feeling like this, I hate that she did this to me…GOD, then people wonder why I'm not so open, it's because I always get SCREWED OVER! I loved her so much and this is what I get? Why the hell should I ever love again? _

Rachel tossed herself on to her bed and broke down into her pillow, it was that moment that Rachel realized that she has become a shell of who she was.

-  
Brooke's head landed on the pillow with Peyton attached to her lips, Peyton moved her arms from under Brooke and placed her hands on either side of Brooke's head so she could hover over Brooke. Brooke started to push Peyton's leather jacket off her shoulders, Peyton shifted so the jacket could come off. Peyton broke the kiss and moved her hands under Brooke's shirt; she leaned down and started to suck on Brooke's neck. Brooke ran her hands under Peyton's shirt and started to lift it, once again Peyton had to move away from Brooke so the shirt could come off.

"You're so sexy and beautiful and so much more" Brooke looked over Peyton's body.

Peyton leaned down and kissed Brooke quickly before moving her mouth to Brooke's ear.

"Baby, you haven't seen anything yet" Brooke shivered.

Peyton ducked her head slightly and licked right under Brooke's ear causing her to moan, Peyton licked form there back to Brooke's neck and once again sucked. Peyton left her mark before she started to lift Brooke's shirt up, once her shirt was gone Peyton placed light kisses on the swell of her breasts. Brooke arched her back and moaned at the pleasure it was causing, Brooke put her hand on the back of Peyton's bra and unclasped it. Brooke brought the straps down and tossed it over the bed. Brooke flipped them in order to be on top, she kissed down Peyton body before taking a breast in to her mouth. Peyton moaned and ran her hands through Brooke's hair. Brooke lifted her hand and started to massage Peyton's left breast, when she was finished she did the same to the right breast.

Brooke moved back up Peyton's body and kissed her lips, as they kissed Peyton flipped them back around. Peyton started to kiss down Brooke's neck but stopped at her collarbone to suck, her hands moved around Brooke and she undid her bar. Brooke arched her back slightly and let Peyton toss the bra somewhere in the room, Peyton moved to Brooke's breast and she licked each nipple before blowing on them lightly earning a loud moan from Brooke. She started to kiss down Brooke's body, once she reached Brook's hips Peyton undid Brooke's jean button and pulled the zipped down. Peyton placed light kisses on Brooke's stomach as she pulled her jeans down along with her panties. Peyton got lost in the sight of Brooke; she moved back up Brooke's body and kissed her.

"Everything about you is amazing Brooke" Peyton said against her lips.

Brooke kissed Peyton again as her hands moved down and she undid Peyton jeans, Peyton helped her pull her jeans down. Brooke hooked her fingers in to Peyton's panties and pulled them down, Peyton kicked them off. Brooke spread her legs and Peyton moved between them, she put her forehead against Brooke's.

"I love you Brooke" Peyton moved her hand down and started to massage Brooke's inner thigh, her other hand was beside Brooke's head so that she could still slightly hover over Brooke.

"I love you too" Brooke was running her foot over the back of Peyton's leg slowly, causing Peyton to moan.

Peyton moved her hand from Brooke's thigh and slid two fingers into Brooke, Brooke moaned and her hips bucked. Peyton started to pump her fingers and with each stroke or pump, Brooke's hips bucked harder than the last. Brooke forced one of her legs between Peyton's legs and lifted it to Peyton's heat and put pressure. Peyton moaned and started to grind against Brooke's thigh, stilling her fingers for a second. When she started moving again, they found a rhythm with each other. Before they knew it they both felt a tightening within their stomachs.

"Peyton, I'm almost there" Brooke lost her breath when Peyton's thumb put presser on to Brooke's bundle of nerves.

"Me too" Peyton moaned out as she continued to grind.

With one more stroke of Peyton's fingers Brooke climaxed screaming Peyton's name, as soon as Peyton removed her fingers she placed her hand beside Brooke's head and ground harder against Brooke's thigh. Brooke reached between them and touched Peyton where she needed it most and that was all it took. Peyton crashed over the edge gasping Brooke's name, she collapsed on top of Brooke.

When she could move again she rolled on to her side, grabbing a blanket she tossed it on top of them. Brooke moved closer to Peyton and snuggled into her neck, Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke.

"That was-" Peyton cut her off.

"Hot?" Brooke let out a laugh and so did Peyton.

"I was going for amazing, but yeah 'hot' works too" Brooke leaned up and kissed Peyton lightly before going back to her spot.

"I love you Brooke Davis" Peyton started to run her hands through Brooke's hair.

"I love you too Peyton Sawyer" Brooke snuggled closer to Peyton. "Tonight was amazing, from the dinner to this…You're amazing, and this was the best first date and first time I've ever had"

"Yeah right" Peyton's voice covered with sarcasm.

"Hey" Peyton looked at Brooke. "I've had a lot of first dates and a lot of first times with people-" Peyton cut her off once more.

"This is great after sex talk, there better be a 'but' in there somewhere" They both laughed as Brooke moved and leaned on her elbow.

"BUT, none of them compare or could even hold a candle to tonight, what you did for me was amazing and it meant everything. I love you" Peyton smiled at Brooke.

"I love you too baby" Brooke leaned down and kissed Peyton.

When they pulled apart, Brooke turned her back to Peyton and Peyton wrapped her arm around Brooke; holding her as close as she could.

"I'd do it every single day if you wanted me to" Peyton whispered into her ear.

"I'll hold you to that" They both let out a laugh before drifting to sleep.


	20. When it rain's

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. Not sure how I feel about this chap, I was going for an emotional feel so I hope you guys feel it. I'm really, really sorry if it sucks. Let me know what you think, I love to know. Love forever and always. **

A loud ringing woke Brooke and Peyton up, Brooke snuggled closer into Peyton's arms to try and block the sound out. It stopped for a second before it rang again.

"Who the hell is calling? It's 4 in the morning" Brooke groaned as she looked at the time, Peyton moved her arms from Brooke and picked up the house phone.

"I don't know who this is" Peyton said as she looked at the caller ID, when it rang again Peyton picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Peyton Sawyer?"

"Yeah" Peyton sat up in the bed.

"I have some bad news regarding your father; his ship was caught in a hurricane and was wreaked"

"What?" Brooke looked at Peyton in concern when she heard the tone in her voice. "Is he…Is he…" Peyton couldn't say the words; the emotion in her system was too much. She had to cover her mouth to stop the sob that wanted to break through.

"No…We don't know, we haven't recovered any bodies at this time. We have a search and rescue team out there right now, we'll stay in contact if anything comes up…We are so sorry Ms. Sawyer"

"Okay, thank you" Peyton hug up the phone and suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Peyton, what's going on?" Brooke placed a hand on Peyton's arm and that brought Peyton out of her trance, she finally turned her eyes to Brooke.

"My…My dad's ship got caught in a hurricane and got wreaked, they haven't found any bodies" Peyton had to take a few breaths before she could say anything else. "Brooke, what if he's…"

"Hey, no you can't think like that" Brooke wrapped an arm around Peyton and pulled her closer, Brooke guided them both down on to the bed. "We gotta hope that he's going to be fine" It was killing Brooke to see Peyton like this and it hurt her to know that Papa Sawyer could be hurt, but she had to be strong for Peyton right now.

"I can't lose him" Peyton whispered into Brooke's neck.

"You won't, you won't" Brooke ran her finger tips up and down Peyton's bare back, while silent tears ran down her face.

-  
Haley smiled when she saw Nathan making his way over to her, when he was in front of her she pulled him in to a hug and gave him a quick kiss.

"Hey, don't make any plans tonight because I'm taking you out" Nathan said once they kiss ended.

"Alright, sounds good to me" Haley put her bag over her shoulder and they began to walk. "Did you hear anything from Peyton about their date?"

"No, I haven't not yet at least" Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley. "When I see Brooke in class I'll give her the third degree"

"Maybe you can wait that long, I can't" Haley pulled out her phone.

-  
After the phone call, neither girl could go back to sleep so they kept themselves busy. They showered and ate, it was around 7 when Brooke could see Peyton getting tired and that was when she started convincing Peyton to get some more rest.

Right now Brooke is sitting on Peyton's bed with her back against the headboard and her arms wrapped tightly around Peyton. Peyton is asleep with her face snuggled against Brooke's neck and an arm around Brooke's midsection, Peyton didn't realize that she closed her eyes but her body couldn't fight the sleep. Brooke made sure she stayed awake to make sure that she was alert if anything happened.

The ringing of Peyton's cell broke through the silence that was in her room, Peyton jerked up but Brooke kept her arms around Peyton.

"I got it" Brooke reached for Peyton's cell. "Relax it's just Haley" Brooke put Peyton's phone beside her own as Peyton relaxed back into Brooke's arms.

As soon as Peyton's phone stopped ringing, Brooke's phone began to ring but she ignored it.

-  
"That's strange, they're not picking up" Haley looked at Nathan as she closed her phone.

"They're probably too caught up with each other, if you know what I mean" Nathan gave her a knowing look.

"Thanks for that image Nathan" Haley nudged him.

"I'm thankful for it" He let out a laugh when Haley smacked his arm. "I'm kidding"

"So, how are things with you and Lucas?" When Nathan looked away, Haley knew what it meant. "I thought you were going to work things out"

"I was, but you had to see the look on his face when he saw Brooke kiss Peyton. I'm telling you Hales, he hasn't changed" Nathan stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I think he has Nate" Nathan rolled his eyes.

"That because you wear blinders when it comes to him" They both stopped in front of Haley's class.

"So do you, you see him as the ass he was and not the good guy he is. How would you feel if everyone looked at you like that?" Haley didn't give him a chance to answer; instead she walked into the class room.

-  
Brooke was downstairs making coffee for Peyton and herself when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and a face nuzzle her neck.

"Hey baby" Brooke turned and put her arms around Peyton and pulled her into an embrace.

"Thank you for being here for me Brooke" Peyton whispered into her ear.

"There's nowhere else in the world I would rather be" Brooke ran her hands up and down Peyton's back.

"What if they never find him, how can I go on never knowing if he's alive or dead?" Peyton clung on to Brooke tighter.

"We'll worry about it if it ever comes to that" Brooke whispered soothingly.

The phone rang and Peyton quickly moved from Brooke to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Peyton ran a hand through her hair.

"Ms. Sawyer, we found a body"

"Is it my dad?" Peyton spoke through a tight throat.

"I don't know, I need you to identify the body. You need to go to Hilton Head Island"

"Okay, can I give you my cell phone number in case something else comes up?"

"Yes of course"

Once Peyton gave the man her number and hung up, she turned back to Brooke and slowly the tears started to build.

"They found a body and they need me to go and identify it" Brooke walked up to Peyton and pulled her into a hug.

"Alright, let's go then…There's a big chance that it's not him Peyton, you have to hold on to that" Brooke pulled away from Peyton and started to pull her to the front door, but Peyton pulled her back.

"You don't have to do this with me Brooke" Brooke shook her head before she kissed Peyton softly.

"There is no way in hell that I am going to let you do this on your own, I love you Peyton and I am going to be with you every step of the way" Brooke took her hand again and headed to the door.

Once they got outside they got into Peyton's car and started to drive.

-  
"Hey!" Lucas turned around at the sharp voice and saw Rachel standing behind him.

"What?" Lucas asked as he started to dribble the ball in the gym again.

"You're wrong about Peyton and me, when we were together she loved me" Lucas snorted. "It doesn't matter what you say, I know it's true"

"How do you know?" Lucas started to walk over to Rachel.

"Because I felt it" Lucas rolled his eyes. "I felt every time she held my hand, every time she hugged me, every time she kissed me and every time we made love"

"And all those times you're sure that she wasn't hoping that it was Brooke?" Rachel was about to talk but Lucas continued. "How can you be sure that it wasn't Brooke she wished she was making love to or that it was Brooke she was saying 'I love you' to?" Rachel looked away and Lucas smirked. "You know I'm right"

"No, you're not right" Lucas let out a loud laugh.

"Come on Rachel!"Rachel finally looked back at him. "You're not stupid, we both know that her heart as always been for Brooke"

"How does it feel Lucas?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Knowing that you'll never have a chance at Peyton" The tone in Rachel's voice has changed from unsure to confidence. "I mean, I know that I'll have a chance with Peyton again if Brooke and she break up…But you won't, that must just be eating at you" When Lucas visibly tensed, Rachel smirked. "She didn't use me to get to Brooke"

"Shut up bitch, don't talk about things you don't know" There was fire in Lucas' eyes as he pointed an accusing finger at Rachel.

"Lucas?" Rachel turned and Lucas looked at the entrance of the gym, standing there was Haley.

"That's the difference between us Lucas" Rachel smirked at him as she turned to walk away, she spoke over her shoulder one last time. "I'm always going to have a chance with her, you never did"

Once Rachel was out of the gym Haley looked at Lucas again, disappointment written all over her face.

"What?" Lucas asked her with frustration lacing his voice.

"I thought you changed" Haley's voice soft.

"I have, but it doesn't make it easy to see Peyton with Brooke or hear that _bitch_-" Haley cut him off.

"Her name is Rachel" Lucas dropped the basketball he was holding with a slam before he continued.

"_That bitch_ talk about things that she doesn't know anything about" Haley shook her head at Lucas.

"You're living up to everything Nathan has said about you and you know what? I'm done defending you, because he's right…You haven't changed" Haley turned to walk away.

"I thought you were on my side" Haley back around sharply.

"I WAS ON YOUR SIDE" Lucas was taken back at Haley's tone. "I heard everything you said to Rachel, she's down and you're just kicking away"

"What I said is the truth" Haley rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No Luke, what you said was an attempt to make her feel the way you do…Bitter, the Lucas I know would never do that to someone. This Lucas, Dan Scott's son, would" Haley turned and walked out of the gym.

-  
Later that day Brooke and Peyton were still driving to Hilton Head Island, the drive to Hilton Head Island was turning into a long one and the rain that started halfway into their drive wasn't helping things. Brooke glanced at Peyton and saw her in the same position the whole drive, looking out the window with a lost look in her eyes. Brooke took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it on Peyton's thigh, Peyton put her hand over Brooke's and interlocked their fingers. Peyton moved her eyes away from the window and looked at Brooke; Brooke smiled at her and got a smile back. Peyton lifted Brooke's hand and placed a kiss on the back of her hand, Brooke squeezed her hand in response. Brooke looked at Peyton again when Peyton shifted closer, once she was close enough Brooke lifted her arm and Peyton went under it. Peyton wrapped an arm around Brooke's stomach and snuggled close to her, Brooke placed a small kiss on the crown of Peyton's head.

"What the hell is this?" Peyton lifted her head when she heard Brooke's voice; she frowned when she saw the bridge they needed to get to Hilton Head Island was blocked off by police.

"You've gotta be kidding me" Peyton moved away from Brooke when Brooke pulled up to a cop.

"Sorry Miss, the storm is too bad to cross the bridge. You need to turn back" The cop spoke through the open window.

"No, you have to let us through it's an emergency" Brooke pleaded.

"I'm sorry Miss, you have to turn back" Brooke ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Alright, when's the bridge going to be cleared up?" The cop took a second to think it over before answering.

"The weather should clear up as the night goes on, come back tomorrow early morning and it should be clear" Brooke gave him a small nod.

"We can't go all the way back home, is there anywhere we can stay nearby?" Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's a motel a few roads back" Brooke nodded and put the car in reverse.

"Don't worry Peyton, we'll be here as early as possible" Brooke glanced at Peyton before looking at the road again.

"It still won't be fast enough" Peyton spoke but kept her eyes on the window.

"I'm sorry" Peyton turned her eyes back to Brooke.

"It's not your fault" Peyton took Brooke's hand again.

When they finally found the motel Brooke quickly got the a room and they rushed there, once inside Brooke ran back out and grabbed as much food as she could from a vending machine. Brooke walked back into the room and placed everything on the table beside the bed, when she turned her eyes back to Peyton it broke her heart to see the broken look in her eyes. Brooke knelt down in front of Peyton and placed her hands onto her thighs.

"Baby, you need to eat something" Brooke lifted one hand and ran her hand through Peyton's hair.

"Can you just hold me right now?" Brooke nodded and got on the bed beside Peyton, they moved to the top of the bed and Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton as they moved to lie down.

"It's going to be okay" Brooke started to run her hands up and down Peyton's back.

"God, I hope so" Peyton snuggled closer to Brooke.

Silence took over both of them, when a loud clap of thunder broke through the silence, startling both girls.

"I used to love thunder storms" Brooke looked down at Peyton telling her to continue. "When we got together it was a really bad storm and now whenever it storms I think of that night and smile"

"That was a great night" Brooke said with a smile.

"At the end" They both let out a laugh. "But now all I'm going to think about is this night and if it is him then I'm going to hate storms for the rest of my life and I really wanted to love them" Peyton let out a sob and another one when Peyton felt Brooke tighten her arms around her.

"Everything is going to be fine" Brooke wanted to help Peyton so much, but she just didn't know what she could do.

"What if it isn't going to be okay? What if it's him?" Peyton moved away from Brooke so that she could look at her better.

"We'll worry about the 'What if's' if they happen and, God forbid, if something happens to Papa Sawyer you are not going to be alone" Brooke pulled Peyton into a deep kiss. "I promise" Peyton gave her a nod. "Alright, you need to eat something"

Once they finished eating, Brooke convinced Peyton to try and get some rest. However, both girls couldn't get any sleep and at 4am the alarm in the room went off. Peyton turned and hit the 'snooze' button before turning her eyes to Brooke.

"You ready P. Sawyer?" Brooke sat up and looked at Peyton.

"No, but let's go anyway" Peyton got up and they headed for the door.

Once they made it to the coroner's office, Brooke could feel Peyton shaking as she held her hand.

"Are you ready Ms. Sawyer?" The coroner placed his hands on top of the sheet that was covering the body. Peyton nodded, unable to open her mouth, she held on to Brooke's hand tighter.

The coroner pulled the sheet revealing the face and Peyton gasped before throwing herself into Brooke's arms, the coroner looked at Brooke for an answer.

"It's not him, it's not him" Brooke answered him as she held on to Peyton, after a moment she pulled away from the room.

Once they were outside again Peyton took a deep breath as did Brooke, Brooke walked back to Peyton and pulled her into her arms again.

"It's not him Brooke" Peyton whispered.

"I know baby, I know" Brooke whispered right back.

"That means he's still out there" Peyton pulled away from Brooke and was about to say something else when her cell rang, Peyton quickly picked it up. "Hello"

"Hey baby"

"Daddy? Oh my God, you don't know how happy I am to hear your voice" Brooke smiled and shed tears when she heard that it was Larry on the other line. "Are you okay?" Peyton's voice is tight with emotion.

"I'm going to be okay, just a little sore"

"Are you sure?" Peyton couldn't believe how happy she was to hear her dad's voice.

"Yeah, listen I have to go get checked out some more I just wanted to tell you that I'm okay"

"I'm glad you're okay dad, I love you" Peyton couldn't stop the smile that made it to her face if she tried.

"I love you too baby"

"Bye" With a smile Peyton hung up.

Peyton turned back to Brooke and pulled her into a deep kiss; Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton and pulled Peyton as close to her as she could. They pulled back when they felt a rain drop fall on them; they looked up and smiled when the rain started to come down.

"Good memories again?" Brooke asked as she placed her forehead against Peyton's.

"You know it" Peyton re-attached their lips once more. "Let's go home?"

"Yeah" Brooke smiled at her as they got into the car.

"Brooke?" Brooke looked over at Peyton. "I love you"

"I love you too" They smiled at each other before Brooke started to drive.

The drive home was a lot faster and Brooke couldn't be happier for it, Peyton had been asleep on her shoulder for the whole ride and it was fine with Brooke she was just happy that everything turned out okay with her dad. Brooke had no idea what she would have done had that been Larry on the slab.

When they finally got home Brooke started to wake Peyton up.

"Peyton, you're home" Peyton's eyes fluttered open; she sat up and started to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She looked over at Brooke before leaning in and kissing her.

"Come on" Brooke said once they pulled back from the kiss and they got out of the car. "Alright, I'm gonna head home"

"No" Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist and pulled her close. "Stay with me for the night?"

"Sure" Brooke leaned in and kissed her hard as the rain poured around them.

"Peyton?" Brooke and Peyton pulled away from the kiss before looking at the person that called Peyton's name.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Peyton let her eyes look him over and noticed that he was soaked, he must have been out here for a while…Why the hell was he outside her house waiting for her?

"Brooke doesn't deserve you, you deserve someone better…Someone like me" Brooke couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"WHAT?" Brooke asked completely outraged.


	21. Is yours the face I fear?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. I know what you're thinking, but yes I am alive. SORRY about the delay guys, I have been backed up with work and getting the flu but all is now calm and I promise that there will be another chap up on Friday. Also, sorry if this chap sucks. Love forever and always. **

"WHAT?" Brooke was outraged.

"We belong together Peyton, why can't you see that?" Lucas pleaded with her.

"Lucas, please don't do this today I…We just had a rough couple of days and I just want to go home and sleep" Peyton placed her hand over her forehead.

"No, if I don't do this today I am never going to do it" Lucas moved closer to Peyton, but Brooke quickly stepped between them.

"If you want to live to see your next birthday you'll step back" Brooke narrowed her eyes and practically hissed the words.

"I want you Peyton, we are meant to be together and we both know that we would be perfect together" Peyton placed a hand on the small of Brooke's back when she saw her fist clench.

"No Lucas, I know Brooke and I are perfect together" Lucas shook his head.

"Peyton-" Peyton was quick to cut him off.

"Do you really want to have this conversation now Luke? I mean it's pretty clear that you've been drinking, are you even going to remember it tomorrow? Go home and sleep it off and we'll talk about it tomorrow" Brooke looked over her shoulder at Peyton and the look in her eyes said 'What the hell do you mean you'll talk about it tomorrow?' "I don't know about you, but I know that we are going to go and get some sleep" Peyton took Brooke's hand into her own and started to walk to her front door.

"Peyton wait" Lucas reached out and grabbed Peyton's wrist, Brooke saw red.

As soon as Lucas' hand touches Peyton, Brooke ripped her hand from Peyton and in one swift move she turned and punched Lucas in the face as hard as she could. She surprised herself, Lucas and Peyton when Lucas fell back, Brooke made sure to hide her surprise.

"Don't come near us and never EVER touch her" Brooke moved to front door, pulling Peyton with her.

"You know I'm right Brooke" Lucas said as he rubbed his jaw. "She deserves someone that can protect her, someone that loved her and thought she was amazing before she was taken…We both know that, that someone is me" Peyton finally opened the door and pulled Brooke in, but not before the words spoken had gotten to her.

"Go home Lucas" Peyton said once more before she closed her door, turning back to Brooke Peyton wasn't sure how to read the look on her face. "Are you okay?" Peyton slowly made her way over to Brooke.

"I'm fine" Brooke answered automatically, but her eyes told a different story.

"Brooke…" Peyton placed her hands on Brooke's waist.

"I'm fine, drop it Peyton" Brooke started to pull away.

"Do not shut me out Brooke Davis" Peyton grabbed on to Brooke's hand and regretted it right away when Brooke let out a small cry of pain. Peyton looked down at Brooke's hand and saw that the knuckles were red and her hand was swelling. "That doesn't look good" Peyton pointed to the injured hand.

"Doesn't feel good either" Brooke lifted her hand and cradled it to her chest.

"Let me see" Peyton held her hand out and waited from Brooke to place her hand into hers', but she never did. "Brooke, let me see...Please?" After a moment Brooke let Peyton take her hand, Peyton started inspecting right away.

"Is it broken?" Peyton shook her head.

"No, but it looks sprained" Peyton let go of Brooke's wrist before looking around. "Sit down for a second" Peyton pointed to the couch before heading into her kitchen.

When she walked back into the living room she had a roll of injury tape in her hands, Peyton knelt down in front of Brooke and took her hand gently.

"Want to try changing your answer about being fine?" Peyton looked up at Brooke as she started to wrap the tape around Brooke's wrist, Brooke let out a sigh before answering.

"He just get's to me, okay?" Brooke ran her good hand through her hair.

"And punching him in the face helped that?" Brooke just shrugged. "I mean it sure as hell didn't help you" Peyton indicated to Brooke's wrist.

"I didn't do it for me, I did it for you" Peyton felt her heart do 20 flips when she heard what Brooke said.

"Well aren't you just my knight in shining armor?" Brooke couldn't help the small smirk that graced her face. "But, it doesn't help me to see you get hurt" Peyton ripped the end of the tape when she finished, she started to stand up and Brooke followed her lead. Once they were face to face Peyton leaned her forehead against Brooke's. "I kinda love you too much"

"I kinda love you too" They pulled away with a smile when Peyton's phone started to ring.

"Hello" Peyton said still smiling at Brooke and not paying attention to the phone call till she heard the voice on the other end.

"Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you guys all day today…AND yesterday"

"Oh my God Haley, I am so sorry" Brooke could help the laugh that came out when she heard who was on the other end.

-  
Brooke had spent the whole night staring at Peyton's ceiling, she wasn't sure when she fell asleep but she knew it was too soon when the alarm went off. Rolling away from Peyton she hit the snooze button with a groan, but she could help the smile that graced her face when Peyton placed a small kiss on her cheek.

"Morning" Peyton whispered into her ear.

"Morning" Brooke whispered right back. "Are you up to going to school today?" Brooke wasn't sure where Peyton's head was after the last few days.

"Yeah, he's fine so I am too" Peyton said with a small smile and Brooke returned it.

"Alright, then let's get ready for a day at Hell Hill High-I mean Tree Hill High" Peyton let out a laugh as Brooke got out of bed.

"I'm not looking forward to talking to Lucas though" Peyton followed Brooke's lead.

Brooke could feel the anger building up when she heard that Peyton was still going to talk to Lucas.

"Why?" Brooke stopped at the bathroom door and turned around.

"Why, what?" Peyton asked as she removed the bed cover.

"Why are you going to talk to him? Who cares if he's heartbroken?" The bitterness was clear in Brooke's voice.

"Brooke-" Brooke was quick to cut her off.

"It's true Peyton, he didn't care about me when he cheated on me with you and we shouldn't care about him" Brooke ran a hand through her hair in an effort to calm herself down. "He's trying to take you away from me Peyton; I don't see what there is to talk about"

"I think that if we talk he'll…He'll move on and that'll be better for all of us" Peyton explained as she stepped closer to Brooke, Brooke shook her head.

"He needs to move on by himself, you should have to push him to do it. That is not your responsibility Peyton" Peyton nodded and wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist.

"I know, but it is my responsibility to protect you and if he doesn't move on fast enough I'm afraid of what he might try to put you through" Brooke gave her a shrug.

"He can do his worst and I still won't let him have you" Brooke put her forehead against Peyton's and placed her hands over her arms.

"I know, but I never want to see you get hurt" Peyton moved her eyes to Brooke's injured wrist. "Again"

"It's worth it for you" Brooke smirked as she turned her head and kissed Peyton softly.

"I love you for that Brooke"

-  
When the girls got to school, Peyton was pulled into a hug by Haley right away.

"Are you okay?" Haley asked when they parted.

"Yeah, as long as he's good I will be too" Haley gave her a smile and nodded; her eyes went over to Brooke and frowned when she saw the injured wrist.

"What happened?" Haley pointed to Brooke's wrist.

"Just had a confrontation" Brooke said with a shrug.

"With Lucas" Peyton finished and Brooke rolled her eyes at the name.

"What did he do now?" Haley asked with a heavy sigh.

"Nothing worth mentioning" Peyton shrugged.

"Brooke's hand begs to differ" The girls let out a laugh.

"I agree with Haley" Brooke looked at Haley before explaining what happened. "That ass you call a best friend decided to tell my girlfriend that they belong together and that I don't deserve her...So I punched him"

"Oh my God, really?" Brooke nodded.

"Actually she punched him because he reached for my arm" Peyton said with a laugh.

"Whatever, mine was just a shorter version" They let out a laugh again.

"God, he's been saying some really stupid things lately" Peyton and Brooke both raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" Haley ran a hand through her hair before answering.

"He's been saying things to Rachel" Peyton let out a frustrated sigh.

"Like what?" Irritation was clear in Peyton's voice.

"Like you never loved her when you guys were together and that you wished it was Brooke the whole time. Rachel stood up for herself but I think it still affected her, she's just not showing it" Peyton shook her head in disbelief.

"Come on, let's get to class" Brooke said when the bell rang.

-  
"As much as I wish that I was the one that did that to you, I wish that much more to thank the person who did. So, who knocked your teeth lose Lucas?" Nathan pointed to the bruise on Lucas' jaw with a smile.

"Shut the hell up Nathan" Lucas hissed as he placed his hand on top of his jaw.

"Or what?" Nathan challenged.

"Or I'll-"

"Get hit by a girl again?" Lucas looked to his side and saw Haley standing there with a smirk as she moved over to Nathan; Nathan looked at her with confusion in his eyes and Lucas with fire in his.

"A girl, did you do that to him?" Nathan wrapped an arm around Haley.

"Oh no, I wish I did…Brooke did it" Haley said, the smirk still planted on her face.

"Why?" Nathan asked Haley but kept his eyes on Lucas.

"Because he decided to tell Peyton that they belong together and tell Brooke that she doesn't deserve Peyton" Nathan immediately let go of Haley and stepped dangerously close to Lucas.

"I warned you didn't I?" Nathan glared at his half brother. "You just can't let them be happy, can you?" Nathan was about to drop his bag but Haley placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't do this here Nate" Nathan re-adjusted his bag as did Lucas; he was just as ready to fight.

"You're lucky, watch your back man" Nathan turned and they walked away.

"I'm right you know she deserves someone like me" Before Nathan had a chance to respond, Haley took it first.

"Shut the hell up before I give you a bruise to match that one" Haley spoke over her shoulder.

-  
It was time for cheerleading practise as well as basketball practise and that was when everything was about to go to hell.

As the girls were going through their routine, the guys were going through a drill.

"Alright, I want to start getting ready for the cheerleading competition in Charlotte it's a few weeks away and when it gets here I want us to be ready" Brooke started to dictate what she wanted the girls to do.

At the same time the boys were practising a new drill, Nathan had to pass the ball to Lucas and Lucas missed a step which caused him to miss the ball and the ball went in the direction of the girls.

The ball was heading straight for Brooke and she froze from fear, just as the ball was about to connect with her face she was tackled to the ground. Brooke looked up at her savoir and saw Peyton's concerned eyes looking at her.

"Are you okay?" Peyton asked as she helped her up.

"Yeah, I think so" Brooke looked around and saw all eyes on her, Nathan was making his way over to her. "What the hell happened?"

"I don't know" Nathan's eyes also covered in concern.

"Sorry" All the eyes that were on Brooke turned to Lucas. "I messed up and missed the ball"

"Of course" Brooke threw her pom pom's down in anger. "You think hurting me is going to get you Peyton?"

"Brooke!" Peyton yelled in shock.

"NO!" Brooke turned back to Peyton. "I'm so done with his crap!" Brooke turned back to Lucas.

"Relax Brooke, it was an accident" Lucas said with a shrug.

"No, no an accident is you existing, a basketball coming at my face is you being an asshole" From the corner of her eye, Brooke could see Whitey heading her way.

"Ms. Davis-" Whitey started but Brooke cut him off right away.

"Relax old man I'm leaving" Brooke turned her attention back to Lucas and after a second she gave him the finger before storming out of the gym, Peyton was quick to follow her.

"Brooke, slow down" Peyton grabbed her arm and forced her to stop. "What's going on?"

"What's going on? He just tried to hit me in the face with a basketball and you're asking me what's going on?" Brooke asked, trying her best to keep her voice low.

"He said it was an accident and maybe it was Brooke" Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh.

"You are not taking his side right now" Peyton shook her head and let out a sigh.

"I'm not taking his side Brooke, I'm just saying" Peyton ran a hand through her hair. "When I talk to him later-" Brooke cut her off.

"You're still going to talk to him?" Peyton gave her a small nod. "Did you not see what just happened in there, there's no need to talk to him; Just tell him that you don't love him" Anger clear in Brooke's voice.

"Brooke, it's not that easy-" Brooke cut her off again.

"No Peyton, it really is that easy...You know what Peyton, go talk to him sleep with him for all I care, you two can have each other" Brooke started to storm off and Peyton watched her in shock.

"Where are you going?" Peyton called out before Brooke was out of site.

"HOME!" Brooke yelled back.

-  
It was nearing the end of lunch when Peyton took a walk around the hallways, with a frustrated sigh she hung up her cell again when she heard Brooke's voice mail for what felt like the hundredth time.

As she turned a corner she saw Rachel walking in her direction. They brushed past each other, before Rachel could turn the corner Peyton spoke up.

"I loved you" Peyton said as she turned.

"What?" Rachel's back still turned.

"When we were together, I loved you" Peyton stuffed her hands in to her pockets.

"And I care because…?" Rachel slowly turned around, she was trying to act like she didn't give a damn but deep down she knew that Peyton knew better.

"Because I know Lucas has been saying things to you and I don't want you to believe them" Rachel gave her a shrug. "Listen, when we were together it meant everything to me"

"Everything obviously wasn't enough to stop you from running into Brooke's arms" Rachel looked away but Peyton caught the sadness in her eyes.

"I always loved her, you were right about that and I can't deny it anymore, but don't think that our time together was a waste because it sure as hell wasn't…At least not to me" Peyton took a deep breath before continuing. "I know you're hurting and I know that I'm the reason why, I wish you could understand how sorry I am for that, but I hope thart we can be friends one day. You've always had this way of making me smile just by being around" Rachel couldn't help the smile that broke out after hearing those words. "And I miss you"

"You miss me?" Rachel asked in slight shock.

"Yeah, somewhere along our relationship we became great friends and I miss having you around" Peyton said with a small shrug and small smile. "I know I only have myself to blame, but it doesn't change the truth Rachel. So yeah, I miss you and I hope we can be friends…Someday" Peyton turned.

"You're happy right?" Peyton turned with a raised eyebrow. "Brooke makes you happy?"

"Yeah, she really does" Rachel nodded.

"It's good to see you happy, even if I'm not the reason why" Peyton smiled at her and it was returned. "Someday okay? After I heal a bit more"

"I can wait"

-  
"Peyton!" Peyton turned around in the parking lot and raised an eyebrow at Lucas, she was about to leave and go to Brooke. "Can we talk now?" It wasn't the end of the day, but Peyton decided that she was going to skip last period and talk things out with Brooke instead.

"What are you doing?" Lucas just gave her a confused look. "Why are you so determined to break Brooke and I apart?"

"You're the one that said you wanted to talk" Peyton shook her head.

"I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about everything else you've done" Peyton tossed her bag into her car before turning her attention back to Lucas. "I love her Luke and we are happy together, can't you just let me go?"

"No Peyton, I can't. I love you Peyton, don't I get a chance?" It was taking everything in Peyton to not snap at Lucas.

"No, how can I ever give you the chance when I don't feel that way about you? I'm sorry Lucas but you need to let me go, it's screwing you up" Peyton took a deep breath before continuing. "We are never going to be anything; I want to be with her for the rest of my life and I'm sorry to be the one that has to break your heart but if this is how has to be then so be it"

"Peyton, we make sense-" Peyton was quick to cut him off.

"No, Brooke and I make sense, I'm sorry Lucas but there's nothing else to say" Peyton got into her car, before she could drive off she turned back to Lucas. "Leave Rachel alone, I know you're hurting but don't bring her down with you...She doesn't deserve that" Peyton took off, leaving Lucas behind with her words and his unspoken ones.

-  
Once Peyton was done with Lucas she drove to Brooke's house with determination, enough was enough she wasn't going to let their relationship suffer because of Lucas'. Peyton pulled up to Brooke's house and made her way to the front door, she rang the door bell twice and leaned on the frame while she waited for the door to open.

Once the door opened Peyton smiled at Brooke and Brooke looked away.

"Brooke-" Brooke cut her off.

"I'm sorry" Brooke said, obviously referring to her outburst.

Brooke was pissed at Lucas but Peyton didn't deserve to be on the other end of that, Brooke opened the door wider and let Peyton walk in.

"Wanna tell me why bitch was being a Brooke?" Brooke's lips formed into a smirk at Peyton's teasing words.

"A basketball was aimed at my head Peyton" Brooke answered with a small shrug.

"That can't be what set you off, we cheer for a basketball team and that ball had come flying at us plenty of times" Peyton crossed her arms and leaned against a wall.

"This time it was different" Brooke looked away from the look Peyton was giving her.

"Because it was Lucas?" Peyton took Brooke's silence as a yes. "Talk to me Brooke, what is it about him that gets to you?"

"You mean other than him trying to take my girlfriend?" Brooke's voice laced with bitterness.

"Why does it affect you Brooke?" Brooke let out a frustrated sigh, not wanting to admit the truth.

"Because he's right!" Brooke finally admitted.

"About what?" Peyton asked in a whisper, she stepped closer to Brooke.

"Everything" Brooke answered in the same whisper. "I can't protect you and he DID realize how amazing you are before you were with Rachel, why did it take that for me to realize how much you mean to me?" Brooke's voice broke, it was taking everything to not cry.

"Okay, I want you to listen to me very carefully" Peyton put her hands on to Brooke's hips and pulled her close. "This wrist" Peyton lifted Brooke's injured wrist gently before interlocking their fingers. "Tells me that you sure as hell can protect me" That got a small laugh from Brooke. "And so what if you didn't realize how amazing I am as fast as everyone else" That got an even bigger laugh form Brooke. "Fact of the matter is that I love you and Lucas can think whatever he wants, to me WE ARE perfect" Peyton put her forehead against Brooke's. "He could never make me happy...At least not the way you do, you are all that matters to me and that is never going to change. I am never going to leave you...EVER"

"Promise? Because I really don't think I can handle losing you" Brooke closed her eyes as she spoke, overcome by emotion.

"I promise, you're stuck with me forever and you're just going to have to deal with it" They both giggled.

"That, I can handle" A smile found its way on to Brooke's face.

Peyton let go of Brooke's hand and wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist, Brooke kept her hands on Peyton's shoulders. Peyton turned her head slightly and captured Brooke's lips with her own. Brooke darted her tongue out and licked Peyton's lip, asking for the permission she knew she would get. Peyton opened her mouth and Brooke slid her tongue into Peyton's mouth, Peyton was quick to meet it with her own. Peyton slid her hand up Brooke's shirt and raked her nails over the soft skin on her lower back, Brooke let out a small moan.

"Parents?" Peyton asked against her lips.

"Gone for the week" Brooke broke the kiss and started to suck on the exposed skin on Peyton's neck.

"Bedroom?" Peyton's voice void of breath.

"Oh yeah" Brooke mumbled against her neck.

Brooke started to pull Peyton towards the stairs as she fused their mouths together.

They stumbled into Brooke's room as Peyton pulled Brooke's shirt over her head and tossed it somewhere in the room, Brooke moved her lips to the spot just below Peyton's ear and started to suck as she worked Peyton's belt; Peyton did the same to Brooke's belt. Once the belts were off Brooke was pushed on to her bed, Peyton quickly shed her leather jacket and crawled on top of Brooke. Brooke quickly rid Peyton of her shirt; Peyton attached her mouth to Brooke's neck.

They were so lost in each other that Brooke didn't hear the front door open or the footsteps walking up the stairs. Neither girl heard the click of Brooke's door opening, but they heard the next thing.

"What the hell is this?" Peyton moved away from Brooke in record time.

The girls looked up and were met with a really pissed off looking Victoria Davis. There was no way to get out of this, she caught them with their shirts and belts on the ground, clad only in their bra's and of course Peyton on top of Brooke.

"Mom, I thought you were supposed to be gone all week?" Brooke asked in shock.

"Oh I'm sorry, did me coming home early ruin your disgusting activities?" Brooke had seen Victoria angry, but this was beyond that and it scared the hell out of her. "You filthy whore, get out of my house" Victoria yelled at Peyton.

"Don't call her that" Brooke got off the bed and Peyton followed, she made sure to stay beside Brooke. "Peyton go home" Brooke spoke to Peyton but kept her eyes on Victoria.

"I'm not letting you deal with her on your own" Brooke shook her head.

"I'll be fine" Brooke bent down and grabbed Peyton's jacket and shirt, she handed them to Peyton when they reached her door after Victoria moved aside.

"Brooke..." Peyton trailed off, concern lacing her voice.

"Don't worry Peyton, just listen to me" Brooke spoke over her shoulder as she moved in front of Peyton.

"Fine, but if you need anything" Peyton threw her leather jacket on.

"I know" Brooke glanced at Peyton over her shoulder.

Peyton glared at Victoria once more before hesitantly walking away.

Once Peyton was gone Brooke turned her eyes back to her mom and she stared right back. Brooke wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she knew she didn't want Peyton being a part of it.

Peyton got into her car and slammed the door shut, she thought about running in there grabbing Brooke and getting the hell out of Tree Hill. Peyton knew better than anyone what Victoria was like and she really didn't want to leave Brooke in there alone, why didn't Brooke want her there? Peyton slammed the steering wheel a few time before taking a deep breath and driving away.

-  
It was later that night and Peyton had given up pacing her room an checking her cell ever two seconds, she's so worried about Brooke and it didn't help that she hasn't called and at least told Peyton that she was okay.

Peyton was lying down in her bed and wasn't sure when she could suddenly see her eye lids, sleep came and took Peyton over. Peyton woke up when she felt her bed shift and then suddenly her arms were being lifted, Peyton opened her eyes and saw Brooke trying to get comfortable. Peyton wasn't sure how long she was asleep, but it was dark now and the last time she looked outside it was bright.

"Hey" Peyton said, sleep evident in her voice.

"Hey, sorry I didn't mean to wake you" Brooke turned her head slightly over her shoulder and looked at Peyton.

"It's okay, I'm glad you're here" Peyton mover her arms from Brooke and sat up, she started to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Are you okay?" A yawn escaped from Peyton.

"Yeah" Peyton looked at Brooke when she heard the tone in her voice; it didn't sound like she was okay.

When Peyton looked at Brooke, she saw it, the thin red line that ran down the length of Brooke's left cheek.

"Oh my God" Peyton ran her fingers over the scratch. "She hit you?"

"It's not as bad as it looks" Brooke took Peyton's hand into her own and away from the scratch.

"I don't care how it looks, she hit you and that's all that matters" Even in the dark Brooke could see the anger in Peyton's eyes.

"Its fine baby, she just reacted I guess" Brooke turned to face Peyton. "Drop it?" Peyton gave her a small nod.

"What did she say to you?" Peyton tore her eyes away from the scratch to look into Brooke's eyes.

"That what I was doing was filthy and not worthy to the Davis name, that I wasn't worth the Davis name. She told me that if I continued, and I quote "This filthy act", I would be out of the house and cut off from any money coming from them. She said that I had to chose right there and then, being a Davis or being with you" Peyton couldn't believe this, how could someone make their own daughter make a choice like that?

"And you said?" Brooke heard and saw the fear Peyton was feeling.

"I chose you" Peyton looked at Brooke in shock.

"What?" Brooke sat up in the bed to face Peyton better.

"It shouldn't be a surprise, I love you and you sure as hell mean more to me than anyone in my family" Peyton shook her head and pulled Brooke in to a hug.

"I love you Brooke, but you're crazy" Peyton was about to pull away when she felt something wet hit her shoulder and then more and before she knew what was happening Brooke's body began to shake in her arms from sobs.

"I have to find a place to stay Peyton and I have no money for a place, she wants me gone in a week...What am I going to do Peyton?" Brooke clung to Peyton as she cried.

"We'll figure it out, I promise we'll figure it out" Peyton tightened her hold on Brooke.


	22. Home is wherever you are

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. I know I said I would get this chap up on Friday but things got in the way and I hope you can forgive me. I liked writing this chap and I hope you guys like it. Review cause I love them and they keep me writing. Love forever and always. **

After the tears had subsided Brooke fell asleep in Peyton's arms, Peyton on the other hand is awake and watching Broke sleep. She was thinking of places that Brooke could stay, but without any money how was she going to live anywhere? Then it hit Peyton and she was quick to wake Brooke up.

"Brooke, get up" Brooke shifted but didn't wake up. "Baby, wake up" This time Brooke groaned and opened her eyes.

"What Peyton?" Brooke asked with slight irritation.

"Move in with me" Brooke was suddenly awake.

"What?" Brooke turned and looked at Peyton, she wasn't sure if she heard right.

"Move in with me" Peyton repeated.

"I couldn't do that to you Peyton" Brooke shifted and got more comfortable in the bed.

"Do what? You practically live with me already, only now all your stuff will be here too" Brooke couldn't believe how lucky she was to have Peyton.

"Did I ever tell you how much I love you" Passion filled Brooke's eyes and love filled her words.

"Is that a yes?" A smile broke out on to Peyton's face.

"Yes, it's a yes" Brooke sat up and pulled Peyton into a hug. "Thank you Peyton, I love you so much" Brooke whispered into her ear.

"I love you too Brooke" Peyton pulled back and ran a hand through Brooke's hair.

Brooke leaned in and took Peyton's lips with her own; the kiss was slow and loving. Peyton cupped the side of Brooke's face with one hand and the other was running up and down Brooke's thigh, the kiss got heated with Peyton pushed her tongue through Brooke's lips. Peyton pushed her down and climbed on top of her. Peyton pulled back from the kiss and lightly licked Brooke's lips with a smirk; she began to kiss down Brooke's jaw and stopped at her neck. Peyton nipped, bit, licked, kissed and sucked at her neck before Brooke flipped them over; Brooke began her own assault on Peyton's neck. Brooke made sure to leave a mark of her lips before she descended, but was restricted by Peyton's shirt and bra. Brooke sat Peyton up and took her shirt off; Brooke began to kiss Peyton's left collar bone as she pulled the bra strap down. Peyton tangled her hands into Brooke's hair and bit her lip to prevent the moan from breaking through, but couldn't prevent the moan when Brooke moved to the right collar bone. When the bra was gone Peyton was pushed back onto the mattress, before Brooke could do anything else Peyton slid her hands up her shirt.

"You have way too many things on" Peyton mumbled against her lips.

Brooke smirked and helped Peyton remove her shirt; Peyton undid the clasp on Brooke's bra and threw it off the bed when it fell between them. She reached up and cupped both of Brooke's breasts; she rolled the nipples between her thumb and forefinger.

"Oh God..." Brooke moaned out, she buried her head in Peyton's neck.

When she lifted her head, she fused their mouths together. Brooke grabbed Peyton's hands and interlocked their fingers as she held them beside Peyton's head. Brooke moved to Peyton's chest and took a breast into her mouth; she smirked when she felt Peyton trying to fee her hands.

"Christ Brooke, let go" Peyton groaned out.

Brooke moved to Peyton's other breast and let go of her hands, Peyton immediately lost them in Brooke's hair. Brooke reattached their lips as she pushed her hands into Peyton's shorts and passed her underwear, she started to tease Peyton's opening.

"Please don't tease Brooke" Peyton bucked her hips and moaned.

Brooke complied and plunged two fingers into Peyton, Peyton started to match her tempo right away, Peyton moaned out Brooke's name when she caressed her bundle of nerves. Brooke started to kiss or lick down Brooke's body as she removed her fingers, Peyton didn't question as Brooke pulled her shorts and panties down. Peyton's head flew back against her pillow when she felt Brooke's mouth on her most intimate area. She screamed out Brooke's name when she hit the edge of pleasure, with a smile Brooke kissed her way back up Peyton's body. She kissed Peyton softly and rolled off of her.

"You alright Sawyer?" Brooke asked with a laugh as she watched Peyton pant.

"Where the hell did you learn that?" Peyton turned her head to face Brooke.

"Just be glad I know it" Brooke put on a seductive smirk.

"Wanna see what I know?" With that Peyton climbed on top of Brooke.

-  
The next morning Brooke and Peyton were on their way to school, Peyton suggested that they ask Nathan and Haley for help to get Brooke's stuff to Peyton's house; Brooke agreed.

Once they go to school they saw Nathan and Haley making their way into the school, they quickly ran after them.

"Guys!" Brooke called out, the couple turned and smiled.

"Hey" Both of their smiles dropped when Brooke got closer. "Did Lucas do that to you?" Nathan pointed to the abrasion on Brooke's cheek.

"No, I have my great and wonderful mother to thank for that" Brooke answered with bitterness.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Haley's voice and eyes filled with concern for her friend.

"No time to tell the story, we just wanted to ask you guys for your help" They both gave Brooke a nod. "I'm moving out of my place and into Peyton's and we could use your help getting my stuff out before the end of the week"

"Yeah we'll help you, but what the hell is going on?" Nathan looked between the two girls for an answer.

"I'll tell you during class, which we have to get to right now" Brooke looked down at her watch and pointed to the time. "Which is also why I'll tell you later Hales" Brooke gave Peyton a quick hug. "See you later Peyton" Brooke grabbed Nathan and they headed to class.

"Can YOU please tell me what's going on?" Haley turned her eyes to Peyton with hope.

"Would love too, but it's better for Brooke to you. See you later Hales" Peyton gave her a small pat on her shoulder before walking away.

"God, I hate being out of the loop" Haley huffed before making her way to class.

-  
"And now I'm moving in with Peyton" Brooke concluded her story to Nathan.

"Let me ask you something" Brooke nodded. "Do you remember a time in this town when our lives weren't filled with so much drama?" Brooke pretended to think about it.

"Nope" They both let out a low chuckle.

"Why is your mom such a bitch?" Nathan asked as he turned his eyes back to his text book.

"You're asking the wrong gal" Brooke answered with a sigh.

"Are you excited to live with Peyton? I mean it won't be anything new, but you know what I mean" Brooke chuckled.

"Yeah, she said the same thing. I am excited though, I get to live with my best friend and my girlfriend it can't get any better than that" Nathan smiled at the look on Brooke's face.

"It really doesn't" Brooke returned the smile that he sent her.

"How are things with you and Tutor Girl?" Brooke leaned back in her seat and raised an eyebrow.

"Things are great, I think this is the first time that the emotional part is more amazing than anything we could do physically" Brooke smiled at the man Nathan was turning out to be.

"Have you guys…Yet?" Brooke hoped that Nathan understood what she was talking about.

"Not yet and this is the first time that I don't care, I'm willing to wait as long as she needs because I know that when it happens it's going to be the most amazing feeling" Brooke nodded in agreement.

"You damn right it will be" Brooke squeezed his shoulder gently.

"I don't think I've ever felt like this before, I loved Peyton but what I have with Haley…"Nathan trailed off, not sure how to describe it.

"Because you loved Peyton and you're IN love with Haley, I know the feeling" They both smiled at each other.

-  
Haley walked out of the bathroom and began to make her way back to class when she spotted Lucas at his locker; Haley quickly turned and went the opposite direction.

"Haley!" Haley screwed her eyes shut and cursed under her breath before turning around.

"What?" She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Can we please talk? I know you're mad-" Haley cut him off with a laugh.

"Mad? That word doesn't begin to describe how I feel Lucas!" Lucas flinched at her raised voice. "I went out of my way to back you up when you said you changed because you were my best friend and I wanted to believe you. I convinced everyone to believe me that you had changed; I put my reputation with them on the line for you! What did you do in return? You proved me wrong, no you didn't just prove me wrong you went out of YOUR way to do it" Haley ran a hand through her hair and took a breath, trying her best to calm down.

"What do you want from me Hales? It's not easy dealing with the fact that the one you love will never love you back! How would you feel if it was Nathan?" Lucas pointed out with a frown.

"I would be hurt, really hurt, but I wouldn't do this Lucas" Haley shook her head at him with a look of disgust in her eyes. "God, I don't even know who you are anymore and if I don't know who you are…Who does?" Haley walked away, letting her words linger in Lucas' mind.

-  
Brooke, Peyton, Nathan and Haley are sitting at a table during lunch discussing Brooke moving. Brooke told Haley her story and, like Nathan, she was left in disbelief. Haley decided that she wasn't going to tell them about her confrontation with Lucas simply because she didn't want to talk about it.

"How about today Nathan and Peyton spend the day rearranging Peyton's room to accommodate Brooke's things and Brooke and I will go to Brooke's house and start to pack" Haley proposed.

"That's a good idea, there's a chance that we avoid World War three if Peyton isn't with me and that'll be better for us in the long run" Brooke said as she took the last bite out of her salad.

"Alright, we don't have cheer practice today, do you have basketball?" Nathan shook his head. "Then after school we'll drop them off and head to my place"

"Or they can take my car, that way they have a quick way out if for whatever reason they need to leave in a rush" The girls nodded in agreement.

"You and Haley grab whatever you can manage to lift up and whatever is left over that's big Nathan can get, maybe we can ever get the boys from the river court" Peyton said with a shrug.

"Sounds good" Nathan agreed with a smile.

-  
The end of the day came fast and Brooke was starting to feel the nerves of going home and seeingVictoria. The other three were talking and Brooke hadn't heard a single word, all she could hear was the beat of her own heart.

"We'll see you guys soon" Peyton said once they stepped on to the parking lot, Peyton turned to say bye to Brooke when she saw how scared Brooke looked. "Hey, are you going to be oaky?" Peyton loosely hung her arms around Brooke's waist.

"Yeah, I…I just don't know what to expect, you know?" Brooke's answer came with a shrug.

"You don't have to do this today if you don't want to" Peyton pulled Brooke closer.

"Or I could go with you instead of Haley" Nathan stepped beside the two girls.

"No, I have to do this…I won't live in fear because of her" Peyton gave Brooke a proud smile.

"Then I'll see you later?" Brooke nodded with a smile.

Peyton and Nathan made their way to Peyton's car and Brooke and Haley went their own way.

"Let's go to Karen's Café and pick up some boxes so we have something to pack your stuff into" Haley said once they got into the car, Brooke let out a laugh realizing that she never even though of that.

"Good idea"

-  
"Your room's a mess Peyton, how the hell are we supposed to sort this?" Nathan looked around Peyton's room in disbelief.

"Shut the hell up Scott" Peyton said with amusement.

"So what are we doing today?" Nathan took a seat on the bed.

"If I know Brooke, she's going to bring clothes, some stuff for the bathroom and any pictures that she can grab. So, we need to make room on the bed side table, desk, closet and bathroom" Peyton pointed to each as she named them.

"Alright, you work on the table and desk, I got the bathroom and closet" Peyton nodded and they went to their destination. "Holy crap, is this a closet or a place to hold your records?" Nathan called from the closet.

"Maybe a bit of both, one more than the other" They both let out a laugh.

"Brooke's gonna love living here" Nathan's voice filled with playful sarcasm.

"Seriously, shut up Scott"

-  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Haley asked as they pulled up to Brooke's house.

"I have to do this" Brooke looked out her window and eyed the house.

"You don't have to do anything, we have the rest of the week if it's going to be too hard today" Haley parked the car and placed a hand on Brooke's thigh.

"Actually we have like two days, it's Wednesday and she gave me till Friday" Haley nodded.

"Alright, if you're sure" Brooke placed her hand on top of Haley's.

"At least I'm not alone" Haley smiled and light squeezed her thigh.

"Never" Both girls got out of the car, grabbed the boxes and made their way into the house.

Once inside Brooke looked around for any sign that her parents were home but found none.

"Oh thank God, they're not home, let's get this done before they come home" Haley nodded and they rushed up the stairs.

-  
"So, how does it feel?" Lucas turned and frowned at Dan.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucas tucked the basketball under his arms and placed his other hand on his hip.

"How does it feel to be a real Scott" Lucas gave him a confused look. "Trying to ruin a relationship to get the girl you want and kicking another girl while she's down because she had the girl you wanted. So yeah, how does it feel to be a real Scott? I couldn't have planned it better myself" Dan gave him a smirk. "Son"

"Don't call me that, I am not your son!" Lucas dropped the ball and glared at Dan.

"Your birth certificate says otherwise" Lucas clenched his fists.

"Doesn't mean you're my father" Dan let out a laugh.

"After the stuff you've pulled? No one doubts it" Dan said with a laugh.

"How the hell do you even know about any of that?" Lucas' voice rose.

"Tree hill is a small town _son_" Dan said with a smirk. "Everyone talks" Dan turned and began to walk away. "You know" Dan said as he turned back around. "You're eve more like me than Nathan before he met Haley"

"I am nothing like you!" Lucas defended quickly.

"Keep tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, son" Dan laughed as he walked away.

-  
"I'm going to be able to do this right?" Nathan looked over his should and raised an eyebrow when Peyton looked at him. "Help her get through the fact that her whole family just turned their backs on her because of who she loves?"

"Yeah, of course you are" Nathan's voice filled with support.

"What if she regrets her choice and leaves me?" Peyton moved away from the desk and walked into the closet.

"Peyton, she's not going to regret this" Nathan placed a box on the ground before turning to face Peyton.

"But what if?" Peyton crossed her arms and gave him a nervous look.

"What if I wasn't this good looking? See not an option we want to look at" Peyton let out a laugh. "Look, she chose you because she loves you and that is never going to change. If they had asked her to chose between being your friend and being aDavis, she still would have chosen you because she loves you and-"

"Is never going to change" Peyton finished.

"See, you get it" they both gave each other a small smile.

"Thanks Nathan" Peyton pulled Nathan in for a hug.

"Anytime, now get back to work" Nathan lightly shoved Peyton out of the closet.

-  
"Are you okay?" Haley looked at Brooke and nodded.

"Yeah, why?" Brooke gave her a small shrug.

"Because we're in my house, packing to move into my girlfriends house and my mom could come home any second…Yet you look more stressed than me" Haley let out a small laugh and rand a hand through her hair.

"Just worried about you" Haley grabbed some framed pictures and gently placed them into a box.

"Haley…" Brooke trailed off, indicating that she didn't believe Haley.

"Brooke, I don't want to talk about it" Haley said with a sigh.

"Well too bad Tutor Girl" Brooke gave her a small smirk.

"It's nothing big, I just had a run in with Lucas" The smirk dropped from Brooke's face.

"Did he-" Haley cut her off, knowing where she was going with it.

"No, no he just wanted to talk and I went off on him" Haley sat down and started to tape up another box.

"Good for you, the guy had it coming" Brooke said as she moved over to her closet.

"Yeah…But Brooke, I miss my best friend" Haley's voice broke, causing Brooke to poke her head out of the closet.

"Haley…" Brooke walked over to her and Haley stood back up.

"I miss having him around, I miss talking to him about stupid things, I miss having dinner with him and Karen at the café, I miss hearing quotes from the book he's reading, I miss going to the roof of the café and playing min golf, I miss sitting up there and predicting what the next year was going to bring, I miss telling him that he sucks at basketball when we hang out at the river court, and I even miss him being broody…I just miss the Lucas I grew up with" Haley let the tars go as Brooke pulled her into a hug.

"I know you do Hales, I know you do" Brooke ran a hand up and down her back. "Maybe he's not as far gone as we all think he is, maybe we can bring him back"

"He came back before, but it wasn't real, how am I supposed to know if it's real this time?" Haley asked into Brooke's shoulder.

"I don't know Haley; you're just going to have to trust your gut this time. I know that if it was Peyton, I would never truly let her go and if there was a chance to bring her back I would take it. If he wants to talk, maybe you should talk" Brooke said as she held on to Haley tighter.

"But after everything he's put you, Peyton and Rachel through…Does he really deserve another chance?" Haley let a sob break through.

"Hey" Brooke pulled away and looked Haley in the eyes. "That is our issue to deal with and we will deal with it, I love you for caring about us but you do not need to lose his friendship over us. If you guys become friends again we will be fine with it, at least Peyton and I will I can't speak for Rachel, but I promise you that you and him being friends does not mean that you will lose us. Who knows, maybe if you talk to him you can get through to him"

"And you'll be fine with him being around?" Haley sniffed.

"No, but I can walk away and maybe with you back in his life he can go back to being the good man he was and then I can put up with him…As long as he doesn't hit on Peyton, then all bets are off" They both let out a laugh.

"Thanks Brooke" Haley moved away from Brooke and headed to her bathroom. "You know it's funny, in the past I couldn't see me being friends with you and now I can't see my life without you"

"Honey, no one can see their life without me" Brooke laughed when she heard Haley let out a sarcastic laugh.

-  
Nathan and Peyton are standing in her room looking around at their handy work, the room suddenly looked bigger to Peyton with all the clutter gone.

"I think we did a good job" Nathan sad with a smile.

"I agree, this is going to be great" Peyton started to walk around the room.

"Living with Brooke or having a room that's neat?" Nathan joked.

"I'm going to kick your ass Nate, I really am" Nathan let out a laugh.

They both turned when they heard the front door open.

"Can you guys help us get the boxes in?" Brooke called from downstairs, Nathan and Peyton quickly made their way downstairs.

"Hey" Peyton greeted Brooke with a kiss while Nathan made his way outside. "Was she there?" Peyton asked as they stepped outside.

"No, she must have been called out of town" Brooke shrugged as she grabbed a box. "Worked out well for us" Brooke looked at Haley and shot her a smile.

"I'll say, I was terrified of meeting that woman" Haley shuddered at the thought.

They started to get the boxes into the house; they stacked them in the corner of Peyton's room.

"Wow, you guys got a lot done in one day" Peyton said as she looked at all the boxes, there was at least 20.

"Yeah, how did you manage to fit them in the car?" Nathan looked at both girls.

"Haley, she has some killer skills" Brooke wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulder.

"What can I say, when you live with a big family you have to learn how to cramp a lot things in small places" Haley wrapped her arm around Brooke's waist, causing the other two to laugh.

"What did you bring?" Peyton sat down on her bed.

"Well pretty much all those boxes are clothes and what is clothes is bathroom stuff, like shampoo, tooth brush and a hair brush, and in one box is some pictures" Brooke said with smile. "Wow, you guys did a great job" Brooke's eyes looked around the room.

"Thanks, doesn't even look like Peyton's room anymore does it?" Nathan said with a small laugh.

"Cause it's organized?" Brooke and Nathan both laughed.

"You guys suck" Peyton crossed her arms and pouted slightly.

"Aw, I'm kidding baby" Brooke walked over to Peyton, leaned down and kissed her pouted lips.

"Alright, so what's left?" Nathan asked as he wrapped his arms around Haley. "Anything big?"

"Well tomorrow I have to grab the last of my clothes and shoes and the only big thing is my dresser" Brooke said as Peyton pulled her down onto her lap. "If you don't mind us using your bed, then I can just leave mine in the house"

"That works for me" Peyton leaned her head onto Brooke's shoulder. "Then tomorrow Nathan and Skillz can pick the dresser up"

"You got him to help?" Brooke leaned her head on Peyton's head.

"Yeah, we called him today" Nathan answered. "So tomorrow we'll all go to your place, um ex-place, and grab the last of your stuff and then you don't have to worry about going there anymore"

"Sounds good" Brooke said with a smile.

"Alright, we'll let you guys get settled in" Haley said as she moved from Nathan's arms. "Take me home Scott"

"Thank for today guys" Brooke got up and pulled each of them into a hug.

"Anytime Brooke" They both said.

"We'll see you guys later" Peyton said with a wave.

Nathan and Haley made their way out of the room and house; once they were out of the room Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke from the back.

"Are you okay?" Peyton whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, just don't ever move your arms" Brooke said with a sigh as she leaned back into Peyton.

"Deal" Peyton placed a light kiss on Brooke's neck. "Do you want to eat something?"

"Can we stay in?" She felt Peyton nod. "What do you have?"

"Not much, so we actually might have to go out" Peyton placed her chin on Brooke's shoulder.

"I'm sure we can come up with something"

-  
The next day came fast and before they knew it they were at Brooke's house trying to figure out how to get the dresser downstairs.

"What are you guys arguing about?" Haley asked as she grabbed the last of Brooke's clothes and began to fold them.

"Nathan thinks we should take the dresser backwards, with me going backwards, and I think that'll we'll break our necks if we try" Skillz said in a way that only he can.

"Why don't you just carry it sideways? That way both of you can see where you're going and neither of you will break your necks" Haley said as she headed out of the room.

"Leave it to Haley to make us feel like idiots" Nathan laughed as they grabbed the dresser.

Outside Brooke and Peyton were packing Brooke's car.

"Baby" Brooke looked over at Peyton and raised an eyebrow. "You have way to many shoes"

"It's just three boxes" Brooke said with a laugh.

"Just?" Peyton nudged Brooke.

"Fine, so it might be a lot" Brooke shrugged, Peyton shook her head with a laugh before leaning in and kissing Brooke.

"Alright, that's it for your clothes" Haley said as she put the last box of clothes into Peyton's car.

"And we have the shoes in here" Peyton said as she closed Brooke's trunk.

"The boys are bringing down the dresser right now" Haley pointed to the house and as she did the boys walked out.

They walked to Skillz's tuck and put it in the back.

"Thanks guys" Brooke said with a smile.

"Anytime Brooke" Skillz said as he got into the truck.

Nathan and Haley got into Brooke's car and Peyton and Brooke got into Peyton's car, they all started to make their way to Peyton's house.

-  
Finally Brooke was all moved in and now all that was let was to unpack the boxes, everyone left after the dresser was set. Right now Peyton and Brooke are sitting on _their_ couch eating ice cream.

"You look really sexy" Brooke looked up from her bowl and raised an eyebrow.

"Do I?" Peyton smirked and nodded.

"Short shorts and a tank top, doesn't get much sexier" Peyton leaned in and lightly kissed Brooke.

"That came out of nowhere" Brooke said as she ate that last bit of ice cream.

"Thought I'd just tell you" Peyton got up and took Brooke's bowl with her. "Get used to hearing it now that you live here" Peyton said from the kitchen.

"I like the sound of that" Brooke said with a smile, even though Peyton couldn't see it.

"What?" Brooke shifted on the couch to get comfortable before answering.

"Living with you, I like the sound of that" Brooke got up and made her way into the kitchen.

"You're going to love doing it even more" Brooke grinned as she wrapped her arms around Peyton's waist.

"I love doing you even more" Brooke whispered in her ear.

"You're so mature Brooke" Peyton said with sarcasm as she washed the bowls.

"Never said I was baby" Brooke mumbled as she started to kiss Peyton's neck, causing Peyton to moan and lean back into her.

Suddenly someone rang the doorbell, Brooke pulled away from Peyton and looked over her shoulder and Peyton did the same as she turned the tap off.

"Who rings the bell at your house? I swear everyone just walks in here" Peyton let out a laugh.

"Can you get it?" Brooke nodded and headed for the door.

Brooke opened the door and froze in fear when she saw her mother standing on the other side of the door.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Brooke didn't even recognize her own voice.

"Well, I came home today after a business trip and saw everything gone from your room. So, you moved in here?" Brooke silently nodded. "You just jeep making mistake after mistake"

"This isn't a mistake mom, I love her and she helped me out when you turned your back on me" Victoria snickered.

"Yeah well you're 'Love' will last about as long as a relationship with a whore can and then you'll be back on the street. When you are, you'll come running back home and you'll be lucky if I take you back" Brooke shook her head.

"I'm not coming back, you kicked me out and I'll deal as long as Peyton's at my side" Victoria shook her head.

"She's a whore Brooke...I guess they can only date within themselves" Brooke couldn't believe what her mother said.

"Hey, hey" Peyton stepped in front of Brooke, Brooke wasn't sure when Peyton got there and how much she had heard. "You can come here and down me all you want, I don't really give a damn but you cannot talk to her like that. You kicked her out and told her she's not a Davis so now she doesn't have to listen to this anymore either, have a nice life Victoria hope to never see you again"

"You can't talk to me like that" Peyton smirked at her.

"Actually I can and I can do this" Peyton slammed the door closed in Victoria's face.

Peyton turned around and pulled Brooke into her arms, Brooke wrapped her arms tightly around Peyton.

"I'm sorry about the things she said Peyton" Brooke whispered.

"Don't be, I can deal with what she says about me she never liked me. It's what she says about you that makes me want to punch her" Brooke let out a laugh.

"Thank you for standing up for me, no one has ever done that" Peyton pulled away and kissed Brooke.

"I love you Brooke and I told you I am always going to protect you" Brooke smiled and put her forehead against Peyton's.

"I love you too" Brooke leaned in and kissed her.

They started to make their way upstairs, Brooke moved over to the boxes and Peyton got into bed.

"Brooke, just sleep we can do the boxes tomorrow" Peyton said as she got into the covers.

"I will, I just have to get something" Brooke started to dig into a box and pulled something out.

Brooke walked over to her side of the bed and put what she was holding onto the bedside table; Peyton looked over and smiled at what she saw. On the bedside table was a picture of Brooke and Peyton.

"That was taken at my last birthday right?" Brooke nodded, in the picture Brooke was standing in front of Peyton and Peyton had her arms wrapped around Brooke from the back. They both had huge smiles on their faces.

"This is what it feels like, isn't it?" Peyton raised an eyebrow. "To have a home that feels safe, to know that you have somewhere to run when the world get's hard, to know that you are always going to be safe inside these walls"

"Yeah Brooke, this is what it feels like" Brooke smiled as she got into the bed and slid close to Peyton.

"This is the first time home has ever felt like home" Peyton smiled and wrapped her arms around Brooke, holding her close.

-  
Haley just got home after spending time with Nathan; she sat on her bed and pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled through the number before stopping; she hesitated for a second before pressing the 'call' button.

"Hey, you wanted to talk, right? Let's talk"


	23. Is this a fairy tale?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. Hope you guys like this chapter, it was fun to write and I know you guys might be missing the drama that I bring with this story so don't worry it'll be back soon enough. **

Brooke and Peyton walked into the school hand in hand, Brooke is smiling at something that Peyton had just said to her. Brooke begins to lean in for a kiss when someone rushes between them, they both look at the person and see that it's Nathan and he's moving almost at super speed towards Lucas.

"This can't be good" Peyton's eyes locked on Nathan.

"Haley" Brooke whispers to herself, realizing what this is about.

"What about Haley?" Peyton looks at Brooke.

Before Brooke has a chance to respond Haley pushes between them and rushes towards Nathan.

"Nathan, don't!" Brooke and Peyton quickly catch up to Haley, Peyton pulls her back and holds on to her; wanting to keep her from what was about to happen.

Lucas turned after hearing Haley yell only to see Nathan standing right in front of him, before he had a chance to react he was punched in jaw and he fell to the ground.

"That was for Haley" Nathan dropped his bag, he picked Lucas up by his shirt and slammed him into the nearest locker. "Brooke" Nathan pulled his fist back and let it connect to Lucas' left cheek, Lucas started to slump to the ground but Nathan pulled him back up. "Peyton" Nathan pulled his other fist back and let it connect to Lucas' right cheek, this time he let Lucas' slump to the ground.

"Nathan!" Whitey stepped in between Nathan and Lucas. "Office now!"

"Haley was the only thing you had going for you and you turn your back on her? What the hell is wrong with you? She always had your back despite the ass you've turned out to be and she was willing to give you another chance and this is how you repay her? You can go to hell and rot there! How Haley's been your friend for all these years I'll never know, you sure as hell didn't deserve it and you don't deserve all the other chances she gave you" Nathan looked over his shoulder when he felt a hand on it and saw Principal Turner standing behind him, Nathan looked back at Lucas and said one last thing. "You stay away from them, Brooke, Peyton and Haley; especially Haley or I swear to you that what you just felt will feel like a walk in the park"

"Let's go Nathan" Nathan grabbed his bag before following Turner.

Lucas started to stand up; as he did he spat some blood onto the ground. He looked up and saw everyone looking at him. Lucas placed a hand on his right cheek as he looked over everyone's faces; he stopped when he got to Haley. His gaze broke when he heard Whitey's voice.

"What are you all staring at? Get to class, now" Right away the student body began to move

Lucas bent down and picked his bag up, when he stood straight again he saw Brooke standing in front of him.

"When I find out what you said to Haley, you better stay away from me" Brooke hissed the words out before walking away.

Lucas glanced at Whitey, who had an unreadable expression on his face, before heading to the bathroom.

After Nathan had been taken to the office Haley made her way to the quad and sat at a table, followed closely by Peyton and Brooke.

-  
"Are you okay?" Peyton asked as she took a seat across from Haley, Brooke sat down beside Haley.

"I'm just…GOD, I really thought we could make things work" Haley ran her hands over her face and through her hair.

"Lucas and you?" Haley nodded at Peyton question.

"What happened?" Brooke placed a hand on Haley's back.

"It started out fine, we were talking about the good time and that was great, but then we started to talk about the serious things and everything went to hell" Haley shook her head at the memory. "I mean, he actually had the nerve to tell me that when everything began with you, Peyton and Rachel that I should have had his back instead of turning mine on him"

"So what if you didn't take his side, he shouldn't be acting like this" Brooke propped her head up on her palm as she leaned her arm on the table.

"That's the thing Brooke, I wasn't picking sides! He was in the wrong and he needed to understand that I didn't support what he was doing" Peyton nodded and took a breath before asking the question both she and Brooke were thinking.

"What did he say to you to make Nathan lose it on him like that?" Peyton hoped she wasn't overstepping by asking that question.

"I told him that he was on his own because he had lost me and that was his fault, he said…He said that if I was looking for someone to blame for the loss of our friendship, then I should look in the mirror. He said it was my fault that everything went wrong for him, that after I started dating Nathan and we started to detach he lost the one person he could confide in" Haley swallowed the lump in her throat.

"He's blaming you for everything?" Brooke asked in shock.

"Yeah, pretty much" Haley stood up. "I really don't feel like being here today, whenever you see Nathan, can you please tell him to call me?"

"Yeah sure" Peyton said as she and Brooke began to stand up as well.

"Are you sure you want to be alone?" Brooke tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, there's just way too much going on in here" Haley pointed to her head. "I'll see you guys later" Haley turned and walked away.

"I didn't know it was possible to hate someone so much" Brooke turned her eyes to Peyton; Peyton kept her eyes on Haley. "He keeps hurting the people I love Brooke, he's pushing me and I can only take so much before I start pushing back" Peyton turned and walked away as well.

Brooke watched both girls leave before heading in her own direction.

-  
First period had just ended and Peyton was at her locker grabbing her books, she looked beside her when she saw someone lean against the locker. Seeing Rachel, Peyton gave her a smile.

"Hey Rachel" Peyton said before turning back to her locker.

"Hey Sawyer, are Nathan and Haley okay?" Peyton gave her a small nod.

"Yeah, they'll be fine; Lucas is just being-"

"An ass" Rachel finished and Peyton let out a laugh.

"Yeah, how are you?" Rachel shrugged.

"Not here to talk about me, I just saw what happened this morning and wanted to make sure everything was okay" Rachel put her hands into her pockets.

"Alright, Ms. Subject Changer we don't have to talk about you" Rachel looked away but let out a laugh.

"Why don't you come to Tric tonight, we got some pretty good bands to play tonight and I think that you could have a great time"

"I don't know Peyton…" Peyton closed her locker and leaned on it.

"Come on, you haven't been there since we broke up and you were a huge part of its opening, please? You know you want to" Peyton used the same like that Rachel had to convince her to go out with her all those months ago and Rachel knew it.

"Fine I guess I can, if you're insisting" Rachel said with a playful sigh.

"I am" They both let out a laugh.

"Alright, then I'll see you tonight" Peyton nodded and Rachel turned to walk away. "These bands better be good!" Rachel called over her shoulder, causing Peyton to laugh.

Peyton was about to walk away but someone pulled on her shirt casing her to be pulled back into their body, Peyton relaxed right away knowing whose body it was; she smiled when a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She turned her head to smile at Brooke before capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"What was that about?" Brooke asked once they pulled apart.

"Just inviting Rachel to Tric tonight" Peyton turned in Brooke's arms.

"You're inviting someone to a public club?" Peyton lightly smacked the arms around with a laugh.

"You know what I mean" Brooke nodded as she pulled her arms away from Peyton.

"You guys are good again?" Peyton nodded with a smile.

"Trying to be" A look crossed over Brooke's face and Peyton understood it right away. "Don't give me that look"

"What look?" Brooke's voice laced with innocence.

"The jealous look" Peyton had seen that look on Brooke's more than Brooke knew, it was not one that could be mistaken.

"I'm not jealous" Brooke put her hands up in defence.

"You better not be because I really can't handle that again" Brooke nodded.

"And you won't have to, as long as she doesn't put the moves on you" Peyton let out a laugh.

"It won't matter if she does, I've only got eyes for you" Peyton put her hand into Brooke's as they began to walk.

"You better" Brooke bumped her hip into Peyton's. "So, Rachel was jealous of me?"

"What?" Peyton frowned at Brooke.

"You said you couldn't handle it again, so she was jealous of me" Brooke had a smirk planted on her lips.

"Oh shut up" Peyton said with a laugh.

-  
"Hey" Haley turned and smiled at Nathan.

"Hey, how did you find me?" Nathan smirked at her as he drew closer.

"You think I wouldn't know where my girlfriend would go if she was upset?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

Haley was sitting in the same place that Nathan and Haley had their first tutoring session.

"Well aren't you the best boyfriend ever" Haley patted the spot beside her and Nathan sat down. "Shouldn't you be in school though?"

"They told me not to cause anymore trouble today or I'll get suspended" Haley gave him a small nod.

"So, can't you be in school and cause a problem?" Haley asked with a laugh.

"If I see Lucas again I might actually kill him, now I know it isn't a problem in our minds but it will be in theirs" They let out a laugh.

"Thank you for that by the way, I mean you didn't have to and I really didn't want you too because I really didn't want you to get in trouble, but thanks" Nathan gave her a smile as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Are you going to be okay? I know how much you wanted this to work out again" Haley nodded against his shoulder.

"Yeah I'll be fine, it's his loss right?" Haley turned her head to look up at Nathan.

"You damn right it is" Haley put her forehead against his and kissed him softly before putting her head back on his shoulder. "To be honest, I'm glad it didn't work out; he doesn't deserve you in his life"

"I love you" Haley looked up and kissed him once more.

"I love you too"

-  
"Brooke, are you ready? We have to go babe" Peyton put on her leather jacket as she spoke to Brooke, who was in their bathroom still getting ready.

"Yeah, just give me one more second" Peyton shook her head in amusement as she turned her back to the bathroom and grabbed her bag. "What do you think?"

Peyton turned back around and her mouth fell open at the site in front of her, Brooke looked amazing. She had on a red shirt T-shirt, a black mini skirt, and black ankle high boots. Her hair was teased and it made her look sexier than Peyton thought possible.

"That good?" Brook asked with a smirk, she strutted over to Peyton.

"I...Wow...I...You look amazing" Peyton let her eyes look over Brooke's body as she walked over Peyton.

"I aim to impress" Peyton gave her a small nod.

"Who exactly are you impressing tonight?" Peyton put her hands onto Brooke's hips and pulled flush against her body.

"Well, there's this girl that I love and she is so amazing in every way possible, so I thought I would show her a great time tonight; Brooke style. She's always busy with this club she owns and never has a good time at the club herself" Brooke wrapped her arms around Peyton's neck. "So, tonight she will"

"Lucky girl" Peyton said against her lips.

"I think so" Brooke smirked against Peyton's lips.

"Shut up" Peyton said with a laugh as she put her hands over Brooke's ass and gave it a small squeeze.

Peyton leaned in and captured Brooke's lips in a hungry kiss, but Brooke was quick to pull away. She moved her lips to Peyton's ear.

"Later, right now we gotta get to Tric" Brooke laughed when Peyton let out a groan.

"You're killing me Brooke" Peyton groaned out.

"That's the point of this outfit baby" Brooke grabbed Peyton hand and dragged her out of the room.

-  
For the first time since Tric opened up Peyton was spending almost the whole night on the dance floor, right now she's dancing with Brooke and it was getting pretty steamy. Brooke grinding on her with that mini skirt was doing things to Peyton that she didn't think could happen with clothes on. As the song ended she saw Rachel walk into the club.

"I'll be right back, I just want to say hi to Rachel" Peyton said into Brooke's ear.

"Alright, don't be too long" Peyton nodded and their lips met before they went their own way.

"Hey" Rachel gave Peyton a wave when she got closer.

"Hey" Peyton smiled and leaned on the counter beside Rachel. "How everything going?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Good, for once I'm actually trying to enjoy the club" Rachel let out a laugh. "Brooke's making sure I have a good time"

"In public?" Peyton let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Anyway, I hope you have a great time tonight and I'm glad you came" Rachel nodded with a smile. "I promise you'll have a great time tonight"

"I'll hold you to that, I'm probably gonna hang out with Nate and Haley all night though" Rachel nodded her head toward the couple.

"You could meet a girl on the dance floor, you could do a little dance, make a little love you know get down tonight" Peyton was struggling to keep a straight face.

"I can't believe that you just said that" Rachel had an amused expression on her face.

"I really did" They both let out a laugh; Peyton looked down at her watch. "Alright, I gotta go introduce the band, see you around Rachel" Before Peyton could leave; Rachel grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Peyton" Rachel nodded her straight ahead.

Peyton turned her head and saw Lucas talking to the security of the club; Peyton turned her eyes to Haley, Brooke and Nathan and noticed that they saw Lucas as well.

"I told security not to let him in tonight" She said as she turned her eyes back to Rachel.

"Karen's okay with that?" Peyton nodded.

"She knows what happened in school" She looked at Lucas again and saw him swear at the security before storming out of the club. From the corner of her eye she saw Brooke get up. "I gotta go"

"Okay" Rachel understood when she saw Brooke get up as well.

Peyton rushed to Brooke and stepped in from of her.

"Stop he is not worth it" Peyton wrapped her arms around Brooke's waist.

"Just let me talk to him" Peyton shook her head.

"No, it's just going to lead to so much more and you don't need that, please?" Brooke let out a sigh.

"Fine" Brooke said with a shrug.

"Yeah?" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah" Peyton connected their lips in a soft kiss.

"Come with me, I have to introduce the new band" Peyton wrapped one arm around Brooke's shoulder as they began to walk and Brooke wrapped her around Peyton's waist.

"You don't trust me to not go out there do you?" Peyton shook her head with a smile.

"Hell no" They both laughed.

"Good choice"

-  
A slow song was playing and Haley was with Nathan on the dance floor.

"You wanna send the night with me?" Haley pulled away from Nathan and looked up at him.

"Sure, I would like that" Nathan smiled and pulled her close again.

"I know it's been a hard couple of days and I just want you to relax for the weekend" He felt Haley nod.

"Do you know how much I love you?" Haley asked as she pulled away again. "Cause I love you more than words can describe"

"You are my everything Haley, you've turned my world upside down and I won't have it any other way. I love the person I'm becoming and it's all thanks to you" Nathan leaned in closer to Haley. "I love you so much" Nathan whispered before he kissed her.

-  
"Ready to go home?" Brooke asked when Peyton stepped out of the office.

"Yes, I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for a year" Brooke laughed as they headed to Peyton car.

"I second that" Once they got into the car Peyton started to drive. "Haley said she going to help me get a job, she's going to Karen and see if she can get me a job at the cafe for a while. Then while I'm there I'll send resumes to other people and hopefully something will happen"

"That great Brooke, but you know you don't have to, the club brings in a lot of money" Peyton glanced at Brooke before turning her eyes back to the road.

"I know, but I want to contribute" Peyton looked at Brooke and smiled.

"I swear I fall in love with you more and more everyday" Brooke smiled back and put her head on Peyton's shoulder.

They pulled up to the house and got out; hand in hand they walked into the house.

"Let me just grab some Advil for my feet and then we can go to bed" Brooke nodded and they headed to the kitchen, once they stepped in they were started to see someone in the kitchen.

"Your room looks really different from the last time I saw it" Peyton's face broke out into a smile.

"Daddy!" Peyton ran and embraced her dad.

As happy Brooke was to see Larry she was just as nervous knowing that they had to explain everything that's been going on. Then the fear hit Brooke.

_What if he doesn't improve?_


	24. Forever sound good?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming. Hope you guys like this chapter, I always love to know. Love forever and always.**

"Hi baby" Larry hugged his daughter tight, as if he never wanted to let go.

"How are you feeling?" Peyton asked once they pulled apart.

"I'm alright, better than the last time I talked to you" Peyton gave him a small smile.

"What are you doing home?" Larry leaned his back against the counter before answering.

"Well, I wasn't exactly resting so they sent me home to get some" Brooke chuckled and Larry looked toward her, almost like he never knew she was there. "Hi Brooke" Larry gave her a smile.

"Hey Papa Sawyer" Brooke waved at him before stepping up beside Peyton. "Glad to know you're okay"

"Thank you Brooke" Larry turned his eyes back to Peyton. "So about your room, it's different"

"What makes you say that?" Peyton wanted to talk to Brooke about what to say to Larry, this was all unexpected and she didn't want to overwhelm Brooke…Not now, not with all she has going on.

"Well, it probably has something to do with the boxes in the corner, are you planning on leaving?" Larry only halfheartedly joked.

"No of course not, where would I go" Peyton said with a laugh. "We'll talk about it tomorrow though, you need your rest and Brooke and I are ready to sleep on our feet"

"You're staying the night Brooke?" Larry moved away from the counter and toward the exit of the kitchen.

"Yeah, if that's okay with you" Brooke really hoped it was, otherwise she'd be sleeping in her car. Larry scoffed.

"Like you've ever needed my permission before" Both the girls laughed at that, it was true. "Alright, goodnight girls"

"Goodnight" The girls said simultaneously.

Peyton grabbed a bottle of water, two Advil's and the girls headed upstairs.

Peyton pulled down the covers and got in while waiting for Brooke to get out of the bathroom.

"What are we going to tell him?" Brooke walked out of the bathroom, rubbing lotion on to her arms.

"Don't worry about that right now, let's just go to sleep and we'll figure out the rest tomorrow" Brook let out a sigh as she crawled into the bed.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep with this on my mind' Peyton let out a small laugh as she reached across Brooke to turn off the lamp.

"That's why I'm saying not to think about it" Brooke groaned as she rolled over to face Peyton.

"How am I not supposed to think about it?" Peyton let out a heavy sigh as she got comfortable in the bed again.

"What are you worried about, do you think I'm going to leave you if he doesn't approve?" Peyton took Brooke's silence as a 'yes'. "I love my dad Brooke, but nothing in this world is going to change how I feel about you. I'll be beside you as long as you want me there" Peyton said as she leaned her forehead against Brooke's. "Get it?"

"As long as I want you there?" Peyton nodded. "How does forever sound?"

"Sounds perfect" Brooke smiled at her before moving her head under Peyton's chin and resting it on her chest, Peyton wrapped an arm around Brooke before and they drifted off to sleep.

-  
The next morning Brooke woke up to the smell of bacon, eggs and pancakes, Brooke smiled and looked up at Peyton to find her still sleeping. Brooke slowly untangled herself from Peyton and decided to grab a quick shower, she was happy that she kept stuff at Peyton's house because she really didn't want to rifle through boxes.

_I really need to get these boxes done this weekend_

Brooke shook her head at them before heading for a shower.

Peyton woke up shortly after the water began to run, when the delicious aroma hit her nose she smiled thinking this is what it used to be like when she was a kid. Peyton stretched and got out of bed, she made her way into the bathroom.

"Good morning Brooke" Peyton said as she grabbed her toothbrush.

"It will be if you join me" Peyton laughed, she was tempted but knew she couldn't.

"You know I would love to…God would I love to….But we can't, my dad's here and I don't want to explain the noise's he might and probably will hear" Brooke let out a mock sigh as she stuck her head out.

"You're no fun" Peyton stuck her tongue out at Brooke before starting to brush her teeth; Brooke laughed stuck her head back in.

-  
Haley's eyes fluttered open, she smiled when she saw Nathan's baby blues looking back at her.

"How long have you been awake?" She mumbled.

"Long enough to know that you talk in your sleep" Nathan lovingly poked her nose and chuckled when her face scrunched up.

"What? No I don't" Haley shifted and snuggled closer to Nathan.

"Yeah you do" Nathan said with a laugh.

"What did I say?" Haley lifted her head up to look at Nathan.

"Something about Mr. Snuggles" Haley groaned and turned away from Nathan.

"Oh God" Haley said as she turned causing Nathan to laugh.

"Who's Mr. Snuggles Hales?" Nathan propped his head on his hand and leaned on his elbow.

"Shut up Nate" Even though he couldn't see her, Nathan could hear the smile in her voice.

"Come on Hales, if this relationship is going to work we can't keep secrets" Nathan nudged her with a smile.

"God you're an ass" Haley turned back to face him. "Mr. Snuggles is the teddy bear I sleep with"

"Are you serious?" Nathan was trying so hard not to laugh.

"Yes, I got him when I was eight and I've slept with him since" This time Nathan couldn't contain the laughter.

"Haley, you're seventeen" Haley gave him a shrug.

"Yeah, so?" Nathan gave her a 'are you serious' look.

"And you still sleep with a teddy bear?" Haley smacked his shoulder.

"Don't make fun of me, he helps me sleep" Nathan chuckled as he pulled her close and kissed her.

"Can I help you sleep at night" Haley shook her head and pulled away from him.

"Nope, you made fun of Mr. Snuggles and me and that's unforgivable" Haley got off the bed and headed to the bathroom.

"Haley, I'm kidding I love Mr. Snuggles" Nathan groaned out.

-  
"Morning Papa Sawyer" Brooke bounced into the kitchen.

"Morning Brooke" Larry smiled as he handed her a plate.

Brooke took it with a smile and sat down beside Peyton, she began to serve herself.

"Can you tell me about those boxes Brooke? Peyton decided it would be fun to avoid my questions" Brooke glanced at Peyton.

"Um…" Brooke trailed off, unsure what to say.

"I wasn't avoiding, I was just waiting for Brooke she can help me explain" Brooke nodded understanding the look Peyton was giving her.

"What's up girls? You're both starting to scare me" Larry looked between the two.

"The boxes are Brooke's dad, she moved in" Peyton stopped there wanting to see how Larry would react to that alone.

"That's it? Peyton, she practically lives here as it is and lets be honest she's better off living with you than her parents" Brooke and Peyton both let out an awkward laugh.

"That's not all" Brooke looked at Peyton, telling her to continue.

"Dad, we're…we're…we're together" Larry's face was unreadable.

"What do you mean?" Peyton let out a sigh and Brooke took over.

"We're dating" Brooke answered softly, Larry put his fork down and a look of shock came on to his face.

"What?" Larry turned his eyes to Peyton for an answer.

"We've been together for a few months, but I've been in love with her for years" Peyton reached out for Brooke's hand and laced their fingers together.

"In love? Wow" Larry looked at their hands before looking back at them. "Is that why you moved in?"

"No, my mom didn't accept this" Brooke pointed between herself and Peyton. "She kicked me out, cut me off and told me that I'm not worthy of the Davis name" Larry wasn't surprised, that sounded like something Victoria would do.

"Peyton, why didn't you tell me?" Larry leaned back and raised an eyebrow.

"It's not an easy thing to do, coming out to your parents" He nodded and stood up.

"Where are you going?" Peyton stood up as well.

"I just need to take a walk" Larry turned and walked out the door.

Peyton turned and looked at Brooke, Brooke stood up when she saw tears in Peyton's eyes. Brooke pulled Peyton into her arms and held her tight, Brooke felt tears build up when Peyton began to shake.

-  
"Hey Karen" Haley said as she walked into the café.

"Hey Haley, even on your day off you're here?" Haley laughed as she took a seat at the counter.

"Actually I wanted to ask you something" Karen nodded.

"Could you use some extra help around here" Karen took a second and let herself think about it, she looked around her café and decided she probably could.

"Yeah I wouldn't mind it, why?" Karen put the tray she was holding down and wiped her hands on her apron.

"Brooke needs a job and I told her I would talk to you about it" Haley said with a smile.

"If you train her I'm fine with it" Haley squealed and pulled Karen in to a hug over the counter.

"You're the best Karen" Karen let out a laugh.

"I've been told" Haley laughed as she walked out of the café.

When Haley stepped out of the café she ran into someone, she looked up to see it was Lucas. Haley let their eyes connect for a second before walking away.

"Haley-" She was quick to cut him off.

"No, we're done there is nothing left to say between us" Haley began to walk away again but Lucas stopped her once more.

"I'm sorry okay, I screwed up" Haley ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"You've been doing that a lot, saying I'm sorry and screwing up. News flash Lucas, your 'I'm sorries' don't mean crap to or anyone else anymore. I'm with the others, you can go to hell" Haley shook her head at him and walked away.

-  
"I'm going to find him" Peyton got off the couch and grabbed her keys from the table.

"Peyton-" Brooke started but Peyton cut her protest off.

"I need to know what's going through his head; I can't just sit back and wait for him" Brooke nodded and followed Peyton to the front door. "I'll be back late, I love you"

Peyton leaned in and kissed Brooke, before she pulled away Brooke deepened the kiss and held her there a second longer before breaking it.

"I love you too" Brooke mumbled against her lips.

Peyton reached down and squeezed Brooke's hand before leaving.

Brooke closed the door behind her and leaned her forehead against the door, after a second she headed upstairs. She decided that if she started on the boxes it would keep her mind off Peyton and she needed that right now.

-  
Peyton drove to the first place she thought her dad would be, her mom' grave. Peyton stepped out of the car and walked to her moms' grave, she was happy when she saw her dad standing over her father's grave.

"Dad" Larry turned his head and looked at Peyton.

"Hey" Larry turned his eyes back to the headstone.

"Are you okay?" Peyton stepped up next to him.

"Yeah, just thought I'd say hi to your mom" Peyton nodded and ran her fingers over the headstone.

"Hi mom" Larry reached over and took Peyton's hand into his own. "What's going though your head dad?" Larry took a breath before answering.

"I'm surprised Peyton, that was the last thing that I expected to hear" Peyton pulled her hand away and turned to face him.

"Are you saying you don't improve?" Peyton had to admit that deep down she was scared of the answer.

"Are you happy Peyton?" Larry crossed his arms and tilted his head at Peyton.

"More than ever before" Peyton said with a small smile. "She makes me so happy"

"Then how can I not approve?" Peyton let out a small gasp and felt tears build.

"Really?" Peyton's voice covered in emotion.

"All I ever want is for you to be happy" Peyton flung herself into Larry's arms. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to it"

"Take all the time you need, thank you dad" Peyton said as he pulled away.

"Come on lets go home so I can give Brooke the talk" Peyton chuckled.

"Actually, I'm going to stay here for a bit" Larry nodded and they both took a seat at the grave.

-  
A few hours later Brooke heard the door open from upstairs, she rushed down stairs in hopes to see Peyton but only found Larry at the door.

"Hey" Brooke said as she stepped down from the last step.

"You'll take care of her, treat her right?" Larry asked and Brooke didn't hesitate with her answer.

"Of course, she's my world and I love her with all my heart" Larry nodded with a smile. "Where is she?"

"With Anna" Brooke nodded before heading out the door, but she stopped at the door way.

"Thank you Larry" Brooke walked out the door and started her walk to the graveyard.

Peyton was sitting in front of her mom's headstone thinking about what it would be like if her mom was around, what she would think of their relationship. Peyton smiled when she felt someone sit down behind her, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into their body.

"Hey Brooke" Peyton put her hands over Brooke's.

"Are you okay?" Brooke leaned her head against Peyton's.

"Yeah, just thinking about what things would be like if mom was still around" She felt Brooke nod.

"Well we'd probably be stuffing our faces with those amazing cookies" Peyton let out a laugh.

"Do you think she would approve?" Peyton tilted her head to look at Brooke.

"I think that she would have supported you in anything that made you happy" Brooke pressed a kiss to Peyton's temple.

"Yeah, she was pretty amazing" Peyton said with a smile.

"Yeah she was" They both sat in silence for a few minutes. "I emptied out all the boxes"

"Did you really?" Brooke nodded.

"Yeah, it needed to get done and I got the job at the café, thanks to Haley" Peyton turned in Brooke's arms and gave her a hug.

"That's great Brooke" Peyton pulled away and kissed Brooke lightly. "Come on, let's go home" Peyton placed a kiss on her fingers and pressed it to the headstone.

"I'll meet you at the car in a second" Peyton nodded before walking away. "Hey Anna, we miss you. I'll take care of your girl, I promise" Brooke ran her fingers over the headstone before walking away as well.


	25. It was all just too good

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Hey guys, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews please keep them coming, you guys rule by the way for leaving reviews I really love you for it. Hope you guys like this chapter, I always love to know. Now sad to say but there is only going to be one more chapter after this one. Love forever and always.**

**One month later. **

Today was the first away game for the Ravens and the cheerleading competition. Over the month Brooke had been spending most of her time in the cafe and Peyton started spending a lot of her time at Tric, but when they got together at night there was more love in that room than they thought possible. Larry had left that same weekend that he came, much to Peyton's dismay but he insisted that he couldn't stay at home any longer he need to work.

Lucas had kept his distance from the group since the day outside the cafe with Haley, it was hard to work with Nathan on the team and the Raven's were suffering for it. The games that they were winning before with ease started to become a struggle.

Right now everyone that was going to Charlotte with the team and the squad were waiting outside the bus while Brooke argued with Whitey about the pom poms.

"Sorry, people come before pom poms" Brooke huffed.

"Where am I supposed to put the cheerleading stuff?" Whitey gave her a shrug.

"I don't know, just not on my bus. There's not enough room" Before Brooke could say anything more, Peyton stepped beside them both.

"How about I drive there and then we can put all the cheerleading stuff in my car?" Whitey looked between the girls for a second before letting out a sigh and nodding.

"Fine, but you stay right behind me at all times, understand?" Peyton nodded with a huge smile.

"Yeah I got it, come on" Peyton grabbed some of the stuff, as did Brooke, before grabbing Brooke's hand and leading her to her car.

One they got to Peyton's car, they threw everything in the backseat.

"I'll be right back with the rest" Brooke kissed Peyton softly before walking away.

"Are you not coming?" Peyton turned and saw Rachel making her way over to her.

"Oh no, we are, there's just not enough room for the cheerleading stuff" Rachel nodded as she stopped beside Peyton. "So, Brooke and I are going to drive over there" Rachel gave her a small smirk and Peyton knew what it meant.

"You're going to have a really fun three hours aren't you?" They both let out a small laugh.

"You don't even know" Peyton wiggled her eyebrows causing Rachel to laugh again.

"I better go" Rachel said when she saw Brooke approaching. "See you later Peyton" Peyton gave her a little wave as Rachel walked away.

Brooke and Peyton's eyes locked before Rachel broke it, Brooke raised an eyebrow at Peyton when she got closer.

"What was that about?" Brooke nudged her head to Rachel.

"She was just saying hi" Brooke nodded as they got into the car.

"I don't even understand why she has to be here, she's not part of the team or the squad" Brooke said as she put her seat belt on.

"There's a lot of people that are coming that aren't part of the squad or team, they're fans they come to cheer...They're a loud to do that" Peyton said with a laugh as Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Well no one wants here stupid cheering anyway" Peyton laughed at the childish look on Brooke's face.

"I thought you weren't jealous" Brooke moved her gaze from Rachel back to Peyton.

"I'm not jealous, I just don't like her" Peyton rolled her eyes.

"Right" Sarcasm was clear in Peyton's voice.

"What? I never did even before you two got together" Brooke pointed out.

"Fine, just please be civil this weekend? The squad needs you" Brooke nodded with a smile and Peyton began to follow the bus. "So, who am I rooming with, is it alphabetical?"

"You're rooming with this totally gorgeous brunette" Peyton looked over at Brooke in slight shock.

"How did you manage to swing that?" Understanding what that smirk Brooke had meant.

"Co-captains need to stick together" Brooke shrugged and Peyton let out a laugh.

"You are one sneaky devil Brooke" Brooke laughed.

"That I am, but you love it" Brooke lifted Peyton's arm and leaned into her.

"That I do, I love everything about you" Peyton leaned in and gave Brooke a sweet kiss.

-  
They had finally reached the hotel in Charlotte, everyone was waiting for their room key. Brooke was practically sleeping on Peyton's shoulder and Peyton couldn't blame her it had been a really long ride. Finally the girls were given their room key and they headed to the elevators.

"Scott's" Nathan and Lucas were the last ones left waiting for a key they made their way to Whitey. "Come here" They both made their way to Whitey.

"You can't actually be putting us in the same room?" Nathan asked when they were close enough.

"I don't know what drama has you at each others throats this time, but it stops tonight and it stops when you're on that court. This team doesn't need to suffer because of your soap opera of a life" Whitey handed each of them a key. "You two need to work together, this team need both of you equally. So get it together or I'll kick you both of the team" Whitey turned and left the two of them alone.

They looked at each other before making their way to the elevator, both unsure of how this was going to work

-  
Peyton and Brooke were finally ready for bed; Peyton walked out of the bathroom and got in beside Brooke. Brooke finally hung up the phone and got comfortable in bed.

"So what's tomorrow schedule? Peyton asked as she turned the lamp on her side off.

"I told the girls to be up by nine and in the practice room by 12, which gives them enough time to wake up and eat breakfast. You and I on the other hand have to be up by seven" Peyton let out a groan.

"Why?" Brooke chuckled as she turned her lamp off as well.

"Because I have a romantic breakfast planned for us" That got a smile from Peyton.

"Oh, then I don't mind getting up" Brooke smiled as she snuggled closer to Peyton.

"I though you wouldn't" Brooke leaned down and kissed her before they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

-  
The next morning a loud ringing noise woke Peyton up, at first she thought it was the alarm but soon she realized that it was the phone. It was confirmed when she heard Brooke pick it up.

"Hello" Brooke asked in a hushed voice, her voice was clear so Peyton knew that she had been up for a while. "Hey Haley, no it's fine…Are you serious? Is Nathan going to be okay with that? Better question, is Lucas going to survive that?" That caught Peyton's attention, she quickly opened her eyes. "Yeah, we'll meet you two before practice…Yeah…See you Hales" Brooke hung the phone up with a sigh.

"What's going on Brooke?" Brooke turned and smiled at Peyton.

"Whitey thought it would a good idea to put Lucas and Nathan in one room" Peyton almost let out a laugh at what could happen there.

"Are you serious?" Brooke nodded. "Is he waiting for that room to become a crime scene?" Brooke laughed.

"Apparently" Peyton sat up in the bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Go get ready for breakfast" Brooke lightly shoved Peyton.

"Fine, fine" She got up and headed to the bathroom.

-  
The breakfast had been one of the most romantic things that Brooke has done for Peyton, she had called a head of time and asked them to have flowers put out and petals put all over the table. It was simple but held so much meaning and Peyton loved her for it.

They had met Haley and Nathan and talked Nathan into putting up with Lucas for the weekend, that basketball was Nathan's life and Lucas was a stupid reason to lose all that for. Nathan agreed and said he would try his best to be civil, but if Lucas crossed the line he wasn't going to make any promises.

Nathan left to get some basketball practice in with the team and Brooke and Peyton went to meet their own team for practice as well, Haley joined. When they got there Peyton thought Brooke was going to blow up when she saw Rachel in the practice room, but to her surprise and everyone else's, she stayed calm and practice began.

During practice Brooke became a drill sergeant, it seemed that all her aggression to Rachel being there came out in her orders. The girls were tired and needed a break, but Brooke wasn't letting up.

"Alright, I want to try the pyramid once more and this time Teresa, keep it stable at the top. I am not going to lose points because of that" Teresa rolled her eyes but climbed to the top.

Once she was at the top she balanced herself out before standing straight, once she did she raised her hand to start the cheer when someone in the pyramid lost their balance and it crumbled, Teresa landed badly on her arm. Everyone was quick to check on her.

"Oh God, my arm is killing me" Brooke looked at her arm and knew something was wrong right away.

"Come with me, we have to take you to a health room now" Teresa stood back up with Brooke's help and walked out of the room.

"What happens if Teresa can't compete?" Peyton looked at Rachel and then everyone else before answering her question.

"We are forced to forfeit, there has to be a certain number of cheerleaders on each side" Peyton sat down on the stage and hung her head, the only thought going through her mind was that Brooke was going to be so devastated if they had to forfeit.

Almost an hour and a half later Brooke walked back into the room, no Teresa in site. Peyton only had to take one look at Brooke to know this wasn't good. Brooke walked over to them and stopped in front of the stage.

"Teresa broke her arm in 3 places, she had to go to the hospital and from there she's going home. We're down a cheerleader, which means we don't have the required amount of people on our squad. We're forced to forfeit, so go and do whatever you want. Everyone is free for the rest of the weekend" Brooke began to walk away.

"Wait, what if someone subs for Teresa" Rachel suggested as she kept her eyes on Brooke.

"We don't have any subs" Brooke said, her voice sounded tired, as she turned slowly to face Rachel.

"What if I sub in for Teresa?" Brooke let out a laugh.

"Yeah, like that's going to happen" Before Brooke could completely dismiss the idea, Peyton spoke up.

"That's actually not a bad idea Brooke" Brooke looked at Peyton in both shock and hurt.

"If we can just ad people then I want Tutor Girl instead" Brooke pointed to Haley but kept her eyes on Peyton.

"Tutor Girl can't dance the way Rachel can" Haley said and Brooke saw some of her squad nodding in agreement.

"She's right" Peyton spoke up again. "Rachel can move"

"You would know" Bitterness laced Brooke's words and hurt flashed through Peyton's eyes.

"You're being stupid" Brooke turned her eyes back to Rachel. "I'm giving you a way to not forfeit the competition"

"I don't want you on my squad!" Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"It's not just your squad and this is not just your decision to make" Brooke let out a sarcastic laugh at Peyton's words.

"I'm captain remember, I get final say" Peyton shook her head and got off the stage, she stepped closer to Brooke.

"Co-Captain, I get a say too" Brooke shook her head at Peyton. "Whoever wants Rachel on the squad raise your hand" Brooke moved her eye from Peyton and to the squad, slowly she saw the hands go up. Brooke turned her eyes back to Peyton. "She's good Brooke; she's going to help us win"

"Fine, you guys want her on the squad so badly fine" Brooke said to the squad and then she whispered to Peyton. "You want her so bad, you can have her" Brooke turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

"She's the one that calls this practise and she leaves" Bevin's voice held anger.

"She'll be back, she just needs to cool off" Peyton turned back to Rachel. "You need to learn the routine" Rachel nodded.

-  
Peyton was in the elevator on her way back to her room, she had been wrong Brooke didn't come back to practice and right now she had no idea where Brooke was. She opened the door to her hotel room and was glad to see Brooke sitting there; bottle of tequila in hand.

"Where did you get the tequila?" Peyton closed the door and placed her hands on to her hips.

"Dim" Brooke kept her eyes away from Peyton and downed the last bit of alcohol left in the bottle.

"Wanna talk about what happened earlier today?" Brooke shook her head.

"Not much to talk about" Brooke put the tequila bottle down and stood up.

"Well you're here, so maybe we should talk it out" Peyton stepped further into the room.

"Actually you caught me on my way out" Brooke bent down and lifted her bag.

"Where are you going?" Hurt was evident in Peyton's voice and if Brooke hadn't drank as much as she did she would have stayed back and pulled Peyton into her arms telling her she was sorry.

"Don't worry about it" Brooke brushed past Peyton and opened the door, she walked out and Peyton was quick to follow her. She grabbed Brooke's wrist in an attempt to stop her, but Brooke pulled her wrist back. "Don't come after me" Peyton watched as Brooke walked away before walking back into her room.

Peyton paced the room for a while before grabbing Brooke's tequila bottle and smashing it against a wall, there was a knock on the connecting door Peyton slowly walked up to it and opened it. Found Rachel on the other side.

"Are you okay?" Peyton shook her head.

"No, but I really don't want to talk about it" With that Peyton closed the door and tossed herself on to the bed. This weekend was turning out a lot worse that she thought it would.

-  
The next morning came and Peyton hoped that Brooke would talk to her before the competition, it was the first time in a long time that Brooke wasn't beside her when she went to sleep and Peyton did not like the feeling. However, she was not going to take the complete fall for this, she did what she thought would be good for the team it wasn't fair that Brooke was taking it out on her.

Right now they had to head to the gym to see the Ravens play and that's where Peyton hoped to talk to Brooke.

"Brooke Davis?" Peyton looked up when she heard Brooke's name. "Brooke Davis?" Peyton looked around and began to wonder why Brooke wasn't answering.

Peyton saw Haley make her way over to Whitey and tell him something, she could see that Whitey was hesitant about whatever Haley told him but he nodded and Haley made her way back over to Nathan. When everyone started to head for the bus Peyton made her way to Haley.

"What's wrong with Brooke?" Worry laced Peyton's voice.

"Nothing's wrong, she just doesn't want to be at the game" Haley said with a small shrug.

"Why?" Peyton saw hesitation in Haley's eyes and knew exactly why. "Because of me right, because of that stupid fight?"

"She was pretty upset last night" Peyton shook her head anger in her eyes.

"She's something else, I don't need this crap from her" Peyton moved in front of Haley and walked into the bus.

The game had gone great; Lucas and Nathan had actually managed to work together. Nathan made it very clear to Lucas that off the court nothing changed between them.

Right now the girls are in the competition room, they were all ready to throw up from how nervous they felt. They aren't so nervous about the competition; they know they're good and Brooke had thought them a great routine even if she wasn't there for most of practice, they're nervous because everyone was accounted for except Brooke. If Brooke didn't show up by the time they had to go on, they would have to forfeit.

Peyton had tried calling her 100 times and then told some of the other girls to do it, thinking that maybe she wasn't answering because it was Peyton that called. Well that didn't go as planned.

"She's not in the room" Haley said as she approached the girls.

"How can she do this to you guys?" Rachel said with disappointment. "I thought she loved cheerleading"

"She does" All eyes turned to Peyton. "She'll be here"

"Who're you trying to convince, us or yourself?" Peyton wasn't sure how to answer Rachel, she knew Brooke better than anybody and cheerleading meant the world to Brooke but she was one of the most stubborn people Peyton knew.

"She'll be here" Peyton said once more.

"Of course I'll be here" Peyton turned when she heard Brooke's voice behind her. "I would never miss this" Peyton gave Brooke a smile, but it wasn't returned.

"Where were you?" Peyton asked, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice.

"I was clearing my head" Brooke finally glanced at Peyton.

"Yeah? Well clearing your head almost cost us the competition" Brooke rolled her eyes and Peyton felt anger serge through her because of it.

"I don't know what you're freaking out about, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be on this squad you hate cheerleading" Peyton crossed her arms and gave Brooke a small shrug.

"Doesn't mean that I'm going to let these girls lose on something they've worked hard on because of your insecurities" Peyton wasn't stupid; she knew why Brooke was being the way she was and now she made it clear to Brooke as well. Although, Peyton did regret saying the words when hurt flashed in Brooke's eyes, but she only regretted it for a moment.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with" Brooke turned away from Peyton and moved to the front of the squad.

"Next up we have the Tree Hill Cheerleaders!" The announcer called and the girls ran on to the mat.

The routine began and it went great Brooke felt confident for her squad; they're waiting on the side right now awaiting the winner of the Sparkle Classic Award.

"And for first place…" Peyton automatically reached out for Brooke's hand, she started to interlock their fingers when Brooke pulled away. Peyton looked at Brooke in a mix of shock, hurt and anger but Brooke kept her eyes straight ahead. "The Bear Creek Worriers!" Brooke hung her head.

"If you had stayed during practice we might have won" Rachel hisses, Peyton was about to say something when Brooke shocked them all.

"You're right" Brooke looked at Rachel.

"What?" Rachel couldn't believe her ears.

"You're right, I should have stayed and because I didn't you guys suffered…I'm sorry guys" Rachel felt bad saying the words, not realizing that Brooke would feel the effects of what she did.

"And the winner of best choreographed routine goes to…Brooke Davis!" The squad looked at Brooke with smiles and Brooke was in complete shock.

"Brooke, that's you" Peyton lightly shoved her, out of the emotion of the moment Brooke turned to Peyton and pulled her into a hug, bu when Peyton leaned in to kiss her Brooke turned her cheek; their eyes locked for a second before she ran over to the judge and took the trophy.

-  
Peyton made her way over to Brooke, who was packing the last bit of cheerleading things into Peyton's car.

"Ready to go?" Peyton asked when she stepped beside Brooke.

"I'm not riding home with you" Brooke said softly as she closed Peyton's trunk.

"What?" Peyton didn't hide the anger in her voice. "Why?"

"I just can't be around you right now" Brooke began to walk away but Peyton grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Ride home with me and we can talk this out" Brooke shook her head and roughly pulled her wrist away form Peyton.

"I don't want to talk about it, not right now at least" Peyton rolled her eyes.

"So now our relationship is based on when you want to do things? So you get to decide when we talk things out, break up, make up it's up to you?" Brooke was about ready to tear her hair out.

"Damn it Peyton!" Peyton almost flinched at Brooke's voice. "I need to walk away from you other wise I'll say something that we'll both regret and that'll be the end of this relationship" Peyton felt her heart clench at the thought of them breaking up.

"So what, you're giving me 4 hours alone to think about this? There's no way we can work this out on the way back home?" Brooke shook her head.

"I just can't talk to you right now and you don't have to be alone for 4 hours, take Rachel with you" Brooke pointed to an approaching Rachel. "Since you like being around her so much" Peyton looked over her shoulder at Rachel before turning back to Peyton.

"Fine, we'll talk when we get home" Peyton was about to get into her car but Brooke's words stopped her.

"Not going to be home, I'm staying somewhere else tonight" Peyton looked at Brooke from the corner of her eyes.

"Fine, whatever" Peyton got into her car and started it up, Brooke and Rachel both walked away.

On their way to the bus Brooke looked at Rachel with a glare.

"Don't look at me like that, it's not my fault you're about to ruin the best thing that ever happened to you" Rachel used Brooke's words against her before stepping a head of her.

Brooke looked over at Peyton's car once more before she continued to walk to the bus.

-  
Peyton finally made it home, Brooke's car wasn't there and suddenly the severity of their fight became all too real. Peyton knew that Brooke got home before her because she had gotten stuck at the school having to have put all the cheerleading things back in the gym.

Peyton walked into their bedroom and sat down on Brooke's side, she felt the tears start to build at the thought of what they had ending. She looked over at the picture of them on the night side table, she reached over and put it face down.


	26. Halo

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from OTH...though I wish I did LOL **

**A/N Well this is it, its been a ride my friends. Thank you for all the amazing reviews I really truly love you guys and the reviews always made me smile. I want to take a second and thank everyone that put this story on a favorite list and an alert list, thank you so much for taking time to read this. To those who reviewed a special thanks because you guys kept me motivated when I was ready to give up, thank you as well for taking your time to read and review. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAD FAITH IN THIS STORY AND GAVE IT A CHANCE. **

**A/N2- The italics are flash backs and when I wrote them I was listening to Beyonce's Halo, if you want listen to it when you read the flashbacks to feel the affect I wanted it to have on you guys. Any way, here we go with THE LAST CHAP. **

The next day was hell at school, Brooke went out of her way to avoid Peyton and Peyton made no effort to find her. Right now Peyton is sitting at a table in the quad, skipping another class, sketching. The picture was of Brooke walking away and Peyton standing at her car, it read 'I guess our forever ended yesterday'. Peyton stopped sketching when a shadow loomed over her, she looked up and saw Nathan standing over her; looking at the sketch.

"Can I help you?" Peyton asked as she moved her eyes back to her sketch.

"Well, I was about to ask how you're holding up, but your sketch pretty much answered it for me" Nathan moved and took a seat beside Peyton. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"Can't talk to her if she's avoiding me" Nathan let out a sigh.

"Have you tried to find her?" Peyton took a deep breath and let it out heavily.

"Can't find someone that doesn't want to be found" Nathan shook his head and Peyton raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Peyton gave her a confused look. "Do you love her?"

"Of course I love her" Nathan nodded.

"Then why the hell was she sleeping on my couch last night instead of your bed?" Nathan raised an eyebrow.

"She's staying with you?" Nathan nodded. "Then why the hell are you blaming me? I've been at home waiting for her to calm down and talk to me; all the while she's been at your place hiding" Peyton let out a humourless laugh. "When you see her, tell her to step up and talk to me if she plans on making an effort to save this relationship, I'm not the one hiding" Peyton grabbed her stuff and stormed away from Nathan.

Nathan ran a hand over his face as he got up and began to walk away. He pulled out his cell and quickly texted Haley.

'No luck w/h Peyton, how's it going w/h Brooke?'

It wasn't long before he got one back.

'It's not, she's too damn stubborn'

-  
When Peyton left Nathan she got into her car and drove to her mom's grave. When she reached her mom's headstone she sat down.

"What am I supposed to do mom?" Peyton broke down. "I don't want to lose her but this isn't my fault and I'm so tired…Tired of taking the blame for the wrong things, tired of being the reason relationships end and I'm tired of being the first one to make things right" Peyton let out a shaky breath and then a sob. "I'm just so tired" Peyton let out another sob. "I wish you were here"

-  
Brooke was going through the stuff in her locker when she felt a presence beside her; she looked to her side and found Lucas there.

"I swear Nathan told you to stay away from me" Brooke turned her attention back to her locker.

"You know, I learning to accept that Peyton never wants to be with me" Brooke gave him sarcastic thumbs up.

"Good for you" Brooke began to walk away but Lucas stuck to her.

"You treating her like crap is messed up" Brooke stopped in her tack and turned to face Lucas. "You always said that I didn't deserve her, tell me something Brooke; do you?"

"Don't talk about something that you know nothing about" Brooke narrowed her eyes and hissed the words.

"I know you're treating her like crap, do you think no one heard you two arguing at her car?" It was taking everything in Brooke to not slap him.

"You have no idea about what's going on in our relationship, you have no right to comment on what you heard" Lucas shrugged.

"I'll tell you what I know, she loves you and wants to be with you, I would thank my lucky stars everyday if it was me" With that Lucas walked away and left Brooke with his words.

-  
"Hey" Peyton looked away from the headstone and to the side; she gave Karen a small smile. "What's wrong?" Karen took a seat beside Peyton after she saw her eyes and realized that she had been crying. "Did Lucas do something again?" Peyton chuckled.

"No, he hasn't done anything yet" Silence took over both of them.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Peyton thought about it for a second before nodding.

"Brooke and I got into this stupid fight, I mean really stupid, and somehow it gone blown way out of proportion and now I don't know where we stand" Karen gave her a small nod.

"What was the fight about?" Karen shifted closer to Peyton.

"We were going to have to forfeit the competition yesterday if we didn't get another cheerleader, so Rachel volunteered to sub in-"Karen cut her off.

"Your ex Rachel?" Peyton nodded and continued the story.

"Brooke was against it right away and I told her it would be a great idea because Rachel can dance, that was the start of it" Peyton let out a heavy sigh. "Now she's staying with Nathan instead of coming home"

"You don't think there's a reason for her to be jealous?" Peyton shook her head.

"I love her so much and she knows I do and I just can't do it again Karen, I can't be in another relationship where my partner is insecure. If my love isn't proof enough then I don't know what is" Peyton ran a hand through her hair.

"I think both of you should sit down and have a talk" Peyton let out a sarcastic laugh.

"Brooke's avoiding me, I don't know where she is" This time Karen was the one that let out the laugh.

"Come on Peyton, you're her best friend. If anyone knows where she'll be it's you" Peyton smiled, knowing that was so true but shook her head.

"I shouldn't have to go looking for her, I didn't do anything wrong this time" Karen nodded and silence took over once more. "So, what are you doing here?" Peyton asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, I just came to visit my dad" Karen pointed to the general area of the headstone.

"I'm sorry Karen, I didn't-"Karen shook her head, cutting Peyton off.

"Don't be, it's okay. He lived a good long life and he got to see his grandchild before he passed" Peyton nodded with a small smile.

"I'm going to head to Tric and just hang there for a bit" Karen nodded and they both stood up, once they were standing Peyton pulled Karen into a hug. "Thank you, for being someone I can talk to"

-  
After school that day Brooke decided to go home, Lucas' words really got to her and she thought that maybe if Peyton was home they could talk things out, if not she was going to pack some clothes and head to Nathan's for the night and think things through once more. Once Brooke drove home and saw Peyton car not there she went inside and up to their room.

Brooke grabbed a bag from the closet and started to throw some clothes in there, she went over to night stand on her side to grab something when she noticed the picture of them face down. Brooke picked the picture up and sat down on the bed; she started at the picture and felt the tears begin to build.

Later that night Peyton decided to head home from Tric, she had spent the rest of the day getting bands for next Friday. After she was happy with outcome she thought it was time to go home and just relax, she was just happy to have gotten her mind off Brooke for a while.

Peyton got into her car and started to drive home, her thoughts back on Brooke. When she got home she saw Brooke's car and felt happiness take over her heart, Peyton got out of her and headed to the front door in a rush.

"Brooke!" Peyton called when she walked into the house.

"Up stairs" Peyton almost ran up the stairs.

When she got to her room she felt all the happiness leave as fast it came when she saw the bag beside Brooke, Brooke had yet to look at her.

"Hi" Brooke finally turned her head and eyes to Peyton.

"Hi" Brooke's voice a whisper.

"Leaving again?" Peyton walked further into the room and stood in front of Brooke.

"Thinking about it" Brooke lifted the picture in her hand. "Then I saw this and thought that maybe we should talk" Peyton nodded and sat down beside Brooke. "I'm sorry I freaked"

"Why did you lose it?" Peyton knew why but she wanted Brooke to say it.

"Because you put your ex-girlfriend on the squad" Brooke said with an obvious tone and shrug.

"So?" Peyton gave her a shrug right back.

"So, it felt like you were taking her side over mine" Peyton shook her head.

"I was taking the squad's side, I was trying to do what was best for them" Brooke rolled her eyes but Peyton didn't see it.

"So you keep saying" Brooke mumbled.

"I don't get why you're so insecure about Rachel" Before Brooke could interrupt Brooke stopped her. "And don't say you're not because you are. I told you I would stay with you if my DAD didn't approve, so why are you so panicked about Rachel?"

"You can't really blame me can you? I mean given how we started" Peyton couldn't believe the words that just came out of Brooke's mouth. She stood up and ran a hand through her hair.

"Wow, I can't believe you're throwing that in my face" Hurt evident in Peyton's voice.

"Well it's true Peyton, you kissed me while you were with her" Peyton shook her head, feeling the anger build up.

"Well then I should be insecure too right? It's not like you haven't been around" Brooke was pissed now.

"Go screw yourself Peyton!" Brooke stood up as well.

"Why? I get enough of that from you…Oh but so did the whole school right?" Brooke shook her head and turned back to her bag.

"Clearly we're not ready to talk" Brooke put her bag over her shoulder and brushed past Peyton.

"Or maybe we're not ready to be in a relationship" Brooke turned around sharply.

"What?" Peyton crossed her arms and looked away from Brooke's eyes.

"Maybe it happened too fast, maybe we should have taken sometime to think about what we really wanted" Peyton said with a tight voice as she moved her eyes back to Brooke's.

"We've been together for months and now you're realizing that you don't want this; that you don't know what you want?" Despite the anger Brooke was showing, Peyton could see the sadness in her eyes.

"No, I know what I want, a relationship with no insecurities. I just can't do it again and I shouldn't have to" Brooke nodded.

"Fine" Peyton raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Fine what?" Brooke took a shaky breath before answering.

"Maybe we shouldn't be together" Neither girl could believe this was actually happening.

"Maybe we shouldn't" Brooke forced herself to look away from Peyton.

"Fine" Brooke stormed out of the house.

Once Peyton heard the door close she sat down on her bed and let the tears and sobs out.

Brook sat down in her car and had the same reaction.

-  
Nathan muted the game he was watching when he heard a knock on his door, he opened it to revealing Brooke with her bag and red rimmed eyes. Nathan opened the door wider and let her walk in.

"I thought you were going to work things out?" Brooke nodded as she grabbed her apron from the bag.

"Yeah" Brooke headed for the door again. "We decided to break up instead" With that Brooke walked out the door, leaving Nathan shocked but he recovered and followed her.

"Brooke, wait!" Nathan caught up with her at her car. "What do you mean you decided to break up?"

"There are not a lot of different meanings to the Nathan, I can't talk right now I gotta get to work" Brooke got into the car before driving off she rolled down the window. "I promise I won't be at your place much longer" With that Brooke drove away.

Nathan couldn't believe what just went down.

-  
Peyton was sitting in her room thinking about how everything had come down to this. She knew Brooke was going to be at the café soon for work, she started thinking of the two things she could do if she went down there. 1) Go there and talk to Brooke and maybe cause a scene which would get her fired or 2) Run in there and kiss Brooke senseless and take her on a table in front of everyone which would still get her fired. Peyton just couldn't believe that it was over. At that moment she came up with one more option, go down there tell Brooke how much she loved her and how much she means to Peyton and ask her to come home later and they could try and make things work once more. Deciding that the last one was best, Peyton would go down there later that night when the café was less packed.

-  
"So you broke up?' Haley asked in slight shock.

"Haley, she called me a slut" Brooke started to brew another pot of coffee.

"Could you not say slut around the customers" Deb said as she passed Brooke.

"Sorry" Brooke whispered.

"You told her you couldn't trust her" Haley walked over to Brooke and took the coffee pot. A relationship doesn't work without trust" Haley began to walk to the counter.

"How would you feel if Nathan was still close to one of his ex's?" Brooke asked following Haley.

"He is still close to one of his ex's, Peyton" Haley began to pour the customers on the counter some coffee. "But I trust him not to do anything, because that's what love is; trust"

"Rachel trusted Peyton and she kissed me when they were together" Haley finished pouring the coffee before turning back to Brooke.

"You were as much to blame for that as Peyton" Haley brushed past Brookes.

"You think the break up is a mistake?" Brooke asked as she turned to face Haley.

"Of course I think it's a mistake!" Haley put the coffee pot down louder than necessary. "You two love each other and you guys are meant for each other, I just hope you realize it before it's too late"

-  
Peyton was on her way to the café, as she neared it she could see Nathan and Haley talking, suddenly Haley threw her arms around Nathan and hugged him tightly he had obviously said something amazing. She smiled at how happy they were, knowing that not so long ago that was Brooke and her and hopefully would be again.

Peyton parked her car and made her way over to the two of them.

"Hey" They both gave Peyton a small smile.

"How are you holding up Sawyer?" Peyton gave them a small shrug.

"I'll be better when I talk to Brooke" Nathan frowned.

"Brooke said you guys broke up" Haley said what he was thinking.

"We did, I'm just not willing to give up on us I guess" Peyton said with a smile.

"Good for you Peyton" Nathan said causing Peyton's smile to widen.

"Where is she Hales?" Peyton looked into the café but couldn't see Brooke.

"She just went out on her break, she should be back soon" Peyton nodded.

"So, what are you two so excited about? I saw Haley practically suffocate you with a hug when I pulled up?" Nathan and Haley looked at each other before turning back to Peyton.

"We're gonna get-"Nathan was cut off by a honking noise, they looked to the road and saw Brooke stalled at a green light. "There's Brooke"

When Brooke drove back to the café she saw Peyton talking to Nathan and Haley and thought 'Why is she here' A honk broke her out of her trance, she looked up to see a green light then back at the trio. Before she could move they honked again, Brooke waved her hand as an apology before moving.

Just as her car began to pick up speed a 2x4 truck hit into her, full speed, on her side of the car. Brooke didn't see it coming.

"Brooke!" Peyton yelled in shock, Nathan running broke her out of her shock and she ran behind him.

Nathan ran as fast as he could and opened the door with some force, he gently dragged a banged up Brooke out of the car, he placed her down and looked her over; it wasn't good.

"Haley, call 9-11" Nathan said over his shoulder, Peyton moved beside him and let out a cry at the site.

"Oh my God, oh my God" Haley said as she pulled her cell out and called 9-11.

Nathan was about to check on the other driver, when he heard a noise. The driver, a guy, fell out of the truck and the empty beer cans came with him. It took everything in Nathan not to kill him.

"Pey-Peyton" Nathan turned back to Brooke and saw her eyes opening slowly.

"Hey baby, I'm right here" Peyton tearfully took Brooke's hand into her own.

"What happened?" Peyton could hardly hear Brooke's voice, it was so quiet.

"You got into a car accident, but don't worry you're going to be fine baby" Peyton looked Brooke over and wanted to cry, there was blood everywhere and Peyton had no idea where it was coming from.

"Everything hurts" Peyton wanted nothing more than to take away the pain that Brooke was feeling.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I wish I could take it away" Peyton started to get even more teary, but she had to stay strong for Brooke.

Peyton began to panic when Brooke's eyes began to close.

"Keep her awake!" Peyton looked up at Haley who spoke to her while listening to instructions on the phone.

"Brooke!" Brooke's eyes slowly started to open again. "I need you to stay awake okay, I need you to keep talking to me" Peyton gently lifted Brooke's head so that Nathan could place his jacket under her head.

"The ambulance will be here soon" Haley said, hanging the phone up.

"Brooke! What happened?" Haley looked up at Deb as she made her way over to them.

"Car accident" Haley's voice tight with emotion, they both bent down next to Brooke.

"I'm sorry" Brooke said looking at Peyton, her eyes filled with tears.

"Stop, there is nothing to be sorry about, do you understand?" Peyton let the tears go. "Where's the ambulance?"

"It's on its way" Haley wiped her eyes.

"We need to get her to the hospital now" Nathan whispered to Peyton, but she kept her eyes locked with Brooke's.

Hearing a car pull up behind them cause Nathan to turn, he saw Lucas.

"What the hell happened?" Lucas stepped out of the car.

"Car accident" The half brothers looked at each other, both are thinking the same thing.

"Get her into the car" For the first time Peyton broke eye contact and looked at Lucas.

"What?" She wasn't sure if she heard him right.

"Get her into the car" Lucas repeated as he opened the back doors.

"Are you crazy? She needs an ambulance!" Peyton turned back to Brooke when she broke into a coughing fit.

"If we don't get her to a hospital now, she is going to bleed out before they get here" Peyton turned her eyes to Nathan for confirmation.

"He's right, she's bleeding a lot Peyton" Peyton nodded and moved away from Brooke so Nathan could pick her up. "I'm sorry Brooke" Nathan said knowing this was going to hurt.

Nathan put his arms under her and lifted, Brooke let out a cry of agony and Peyton felt her heart shatter. Peyton got into the car before Nathan, Nathan got in and placed Brooke's upper half on Peyton but kept a hold of her legs. Lucas and Haley got into the front.

"I'll let Karen know what happened and we'll meet you at the hospital" Deb said before Haley got into the car, Haley nodded and got in. Lucas took off.

"How you doing baby?" Peyton asked as she cradled Brooke against her.

"Peyton, I love you" Peyton was about to cut in but Brooke continued. "I need you to know how much, you mean everything to me" Brooke bent her head and coughed; Peyton's heart fell when she saw the fresh blood fall from Brooke's lips.

Haley reached over and handed Peyton a tissue to wipe Brooke's mouth, Peyton did it immediately.

"I'm sorry about everything" The tears that fell from Brooke's eyes killed Peyton.

"Stop being sorry, all couples fight it just shows how fiery their love is. God, I love you so much Brooke" Peyton finally let the tears go.

"I just needed you to know incase I don't-"Peyton quickly cut her off.

"You're going to be fine, they're going to clean you up and then you can be out there cheering your cute ass off again" Nathan smiled at the two of them, praying to any God that was listening to not take Brooke from her.

"Can you kiss me?" Peyton leaned down and captured Brooke's lips in a soft kiss, her tears falling on Brooke's cheek. Brooke put all her energy into kissing Peyton back, suddenly her lips went still under Peyton's. Peyton pulled back quickly.

"Brooke?" Brooke's eyes were closed and her body scary still. "Brooke wake up" She lightly shook Brooke but got nothing. "Lucas, step on it"

"We're almost there, I promise" As if on cue, Peyton saw the hospital.

Lucas pulled into the emergency section.

"I'll park and meet you" Haley nodded and got out of the car.

Nathan once again lifted Brooke's body, now limp which scared the hell out of him. Peyton rushed into the hospital with Haley.

"We need a doctor now!" Peyton yelled to the room.

A nurse and doctor made their way over to them.

"What's the problem?" The doctor asked.

"My girlfriend was in a bad car accident" Peyton said as Nathan walked into the hospital.

"I need a gurney now" The doctor said when he saw the state that Brooke was in. "My name is Dr. Stevens, is she 18?" Peyton shook her head. "She's going to need surgery, I need a family member's permission" Dr. Stevens went over to Brooke when she was placed on the gurney.

"You have my permission" Peyton took Brooke's hand in her own again.

"You're not family" He started checking Brooke for vitals.

"I'm all she's got, if you wait for family she is going to die" After a second the young doctor nodded.

"Breathing is labored and pulse is week, we need to get her to the OR right now" The trio began to follow the doctors and nurses, but were stopped by one of the nurses at the OR door.

"You can't go in here but you can watch up there" the nurse directed them to a room where you could see what was happening through a glass window.

"Nathan!" Nathan turned and waved Lucas over to them and they all made their way to the room.

While watching Peyton knew she was shaking, but couldn't stop it, a loud beeping noise went off in the OR and Peyton knew it couldn't be good when the doctors began to panic. Suddenly she was bombarded by memories of her and Brooke.

"Her BP is dropping fast!"

_"Hi, I'm Brooke" Eight year old Brooke stuck her hand out to Peyton. _

_"I'm Peyton" Peyton shook her hand._

"Doctor, she's flat lining!"

_"My mom's gone Brooke" Brooke pulled Peyton into a hug. _

_"I'm so sorry Peyton" The eight year olds cried their hearts out._

"We're losing her!"

_"Ready P. Sawyer" A twelve year old Brooke bounced in to Peyton's room. _

_"P. Sawyer?" Brooke chuckled. _

_"It's your new nickname, deal with it" Peyton laughed. _

_"Okay, B. Davis" _

"Get me the defibrillator" Dr. Stevens looked to make sure no metal was touching her or him. "Clear!"

"Nothing!"

_"He's an ass Brooke, you don't need him" A fifteen year old Peyton said to Brooke. _

_"Your right he was" Brooke said with a smile. _

_"Besides, you have me who else do you need" Brooke laughed. _

_"Hoes over Bros" Brooke stuck her fist out._

_"Hoes over Bros" Peyton bumped it. _

"Clear!"

"Still nothing!"

_"I'm insanely in love you Brooke"_

_"I am always going to be here for you, I love you Peyton"_

"Come on girl, clear!"

"Nothing!"

_"How does forever sound?"_

_"Perfect"_

"One more time, clear…"

**A/N Squeal, yes or no? **


End file.
